Could lure of United deal be the real reason why 'the white Cafu' Hutton was so quick to dismiss bumper move to Spurs?

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It is no great disrespect to the in-demand Rangers full-back to suggest that, all over Scotland last night, punters were spluttering into their pints when they heard that Tottenham's bid of £9million had been rejected almost out of hand.

Could a club from the cash-poor SPL, a league of small markets and smaller TV revenues, really afford to turn down that kind of money from one of the English Premier League's more affluent underachievers?

Well, as it turns out, Hutton didn't give Rangers the chance to accept. What admirable chutzpah from a young man who, not so very long ago, might have wondered if he would end up being flushed out of Ibrox as unwanted deadwood.

Sure, he probably still fancies a tilt at the golden league to the south. But this 23-year-old clearly believes he is destined for something bigger and better than Spurs, a team with glamour but no great prospects.

Manchester United, anyone? Sir Alex Ferguson is a confirmed admirer of the defender, who signed a new five-year contract in July, and is in the market for a long-term replacement for England right-back Gary Neville.

If Fergie comes calling next, perhaps even sparking a bidding war, Hutton's eventual price will top the £9m Hearts received from Sunderland for Craig Gordon only last summer.

Imagine that, two young Scottish internationals going for combined fees of nigh on £20m.

Hutton's transfer alone would pay off a huge chunk of Murray Park; a decent return for a kid brought through the ranks of the Rangers youth development system.

Victory has many fathers and, as Hutton is currently in his pomp, no doubt every coach who ever took him for a training session will be testifying to their perspicacity in spotting his potential from the outset.

It is equally safe to assume that, when Hutton was struggling and being slated by Rangers fans who had seen early promise turn to youthful frailty, not too many were hailing him as a future £10m man.

Originally promoted to the first team by Alex McLeish at the tail end of the 2002-03 season, the raw but powerful defender's impressive displays elevated him to the status of regular starter by the end of the following campaign.

Six months out recovering from a broken leg brought things shuddering to a halt and, as Rangers struggled through the latter stages of the McLeish era and during the ill-fated Paul le Guen experiment, Hutton was singled out for criticism by many of his team's own supporters.

He looked like he would be leaving Rangers, all right, but not for such great and glittering destinations.

The return of Walter Smith to Ibrox brought a dramatic about turn in his form, mostly attributed - by player and management - to a simple rediscovery of confidence. Surely there had to be more to it than that, because the change has been astonishing.

Phrases like 'The white Cafu' were being bandied about - first in jest, then more seriously - as Hutton established himself as the best right-back in the SPL.

Then came startling Champions League performances and, inevitably, the Scotland call-up from former club mentor McLeish.

After a couple of friendlies against South Africa and Austria, he was pitched into the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign - and took to it like the proverbial water fowl to the wet stuff.

His storming runs and increasing surety in defensive situations made him a huge hit with the Tartan Army, so much so that his absence from that terrible night in Tbilisi was singled out as a key factor in that defeat.

Arguably, Hutton's finest performance came in the final match against Italy, despite the final score.

Sir Alex singled him out for praise afterwards, not the last time he would make complimentary sounds about the barnstorming young defender.

Not long after that fateful November night at Hampden, as McLeish was unveiled as the new Birmingham City manager, Sportsmail struck up a conversation with assistant Andy Watson.

The names of a few signing targets were mentioned but, when Hutton was thrown into the mix, Watson said swiftly: 'Oh no, he's way out of our league now'.

So he should be. It hurt a bit when McLeish went to such a lowly Premier League side, almost as much as it did when Barry Ferguson was allowed to join Blackburn - those giants of the Lancashire football scene - a few years ago.

That Gordon could only land a move to Sunderland was even slightly disappointing, although the size of the fee and the shambolic nature of life at Hearts made it entirely understandable.

Losing Scottish football's crown jewels, our best and most promising young stars, still chips away at our collective ego. Ideally, we would like to hold tight and see them achieve European success with SPL clubs.

With any luck, however, we can at least reach a situation where the very best from north of the border join only the very top clubs south of Hadrian's Wall or beyond.

Hutton will leave, surely. But it would be nice to think that, when he does depart Scotland, it will be not only for a whopping fee - but to a club of real stature.