Dick Advocaat has claimed that Barry Ferguson made a mistake in returning to Rangers, even though the Dutchman knows that Ferguson was homesick while playing in the Barclays Premiership with Blackburn Rovers.

Advocaat is regarded as the man who set Ferguson’s career alight when he arrived at Rangers as manager in the summer of 1998. The then 20-year-old Ferguson had only been used sparingly by Walter Smith the previous season, but was immediately made the lynchpin of Advocaat’s new team.

Ever since then the Dutchman has watched Ferguson’s career with interest, and wished he had stayed in England, or even gone to play in Italy, rather than return to Ibrox from Blackburn in 2005. Advocaat says he places his former young captain at Ibrox as among the best midfield players in Europe.

“I was surprised that Barry came back to Rangers from Blackburn,” Advocaat said yesterday. “Mind you, I was surprised he played for Blackburn in the first place. He has much more talent than that, and can and could still play for the top four clubs in England.

“It was a good move by David Murray to bring him back but Barry should be at Arsenal or Manchester United. He is not a lesser player than Owen Hargreaves and some others. I think he could play there too.

“Barry could have played in Italy or somewhere like that but the Premiership in England seemed perfect for him. I know he got homesick. The Blackburn team was not doing so well and I think he wanted to go back to Scotland.”

Advocaat admitted that he would have loved to have signed Ferguson for Zenit St Petersburg, even though such a move would have seemed unlikely for the player. Moreover, Advocaat’s stay in Russia, just like every other outpost in his career, will probably be too brief a period in which to consider a long relationship with any player.

“I would not have signed Barry for Zenit because I was not sure back then if I would stay in Russia,” Advocaat said. “Walter did not use Ferguson so much when he was young and, if I had not arrived in Glasgow, then another coach would have benefited, because he is a natural talent. Barry has won everything with Rangers and the Scotland team has done well. But every individual can decide these things and see if he feels comfortable. As a coach, for me with his potential, he could have done it in the Premiership.”

Ironically, if Ferguson is a part of a winning Rangers team in next week’s Uefa Cup final against Advocaat’s side, then his move back to Glasgow will seem richly vindicated.

“If he wins the Uefa Cup with Rangers it will mean an awful lot to him,” the Dutchman said. “And the other thing is, with the Old Firm, you are always competing in the Champions League — you do not get that at Ewood Park.”