Smith hoping to keep Davis

Davis has proved to be a big hit since joining on loan from Fulham in January and has slotted effortlessly into the first team. He has so far evaded questions about his future but, with Fulham facing a desperate battle for survival in the Barclays Premier League, the Northern Irishman could be looking for a move in the summer.

"I haven't really spoken to him about it (staying on)," said Smith. "If he is going to leave Fulham - and I don't know if he will or he won't - there may well be a lot of other clubs interested in him."

Smith continued: "His situation was different from Christian Dailly. Christian was released by West Ham and he was free to sign for us. Steve is on loan, so obviously he reverts to his club at the end of the season.

"Obviously, we would like to keep him, but that might be a little bit awkward."

Dailly also arrived in the last transfer window and Smith has been equally impressed by the Scotland international, whose ability to play in several positions has been crucial for Rangers.

He was most recently asked to fill the void left by the suspended David Weir at centre-half in Thursday's UEFA Cup win over Sporting Lisbon, delivering another impressive performance.

Smith said: "Christian has played really well for us since he came in and obviously he's really enjoying it.

"I'm delighted for him because he's a really good professional and works very hard at his game. I felt that towards the end of this season we would need a number of players who could fill in for a number of positions.

"He's already done so and has played in more positions than maybe I would have expected him to, but he's fit to a high level and he's helped us a great deal."