He didn't kick a ball the last time Celtic and Rangers met. He played just 21 minutes the time before that. Yet, still, Todd Cantwell emerged at the centre of major talking points on both occasions.

The former Norwich standout has a knack of finding his way into the headlines whenever a derby contest rolls around.

Whether it's what he says - "Shushburger please", whatever that is - what he doesn't say in interviews more recently, what he did on the pitch, why he wasn't on the pitch or even why Chris Sutton isn't the best pundit in Scottish football.

The Rangers midfielder craves the spotlight when it comes to Celtic and Rangers matches, and that's no bad thing. Well, at least not when you're having relative success.

The problem is, Rangers haven't had much of it against Celtic. In seven outings against Celtic, Cantwell has won once and drawn once. That leaves five defeats, increased to six if you include the most recent Scottish Premiership fixture when Cantwell failed to come off the bench.

All this is not to suggest Cantwell is by any means a poor footballer or the issue for Rangers, far from it. The former England under-21 player is by all accounts one of the most technically gifted at Ibrox - and in the country - but he hasn't shown it when it matters.

It's a problem running through the veins of this Rangers team, when the time comes for a landmark result, too often they're posted missing - on the pitch at least.

Cantwell knows the modern game, he understands the magnitude of the task at Rangers, and he appears to grasp the necessity to win - and the importance of saying the right things.

For the most part, Cantwell is every bit Rangers quality. He can glide past players at will, create something out of nothing, and has that extra bite to rile up the crowd - he just needs to put it together when it matters.

His only victory against Celtic, during the split last season, came when the league was already gift-wrapped and sent off to Parkhead. 

On that day, Cantwell was unplayable. He filed home the opener, caused havoc all afternoon and then won the ball with a crunching tackle on two players to send Fashion Sakala free for his side's third.

It was vintage Cantwell...if there can be such a thing from a player who is still just 26. And that is exactly what Rangers will require on Saturday if they are to have hope of defeating Celtic and hoisting the Scottish Cup.

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There's no need for the fighting talk on social media and zero requirement for petty tiffs with opposition players - see his scuffle with Callum McGregor or recent confrontation with Kenneth Vargas.

Cantwell is routinely lambasted for his antics - both on and off the pitch - sometimes rightly, other times it's well beyond the pale. 

The midfielder isn't going to change his personality dependent upon results, that fact is to be admired for the most part.

But without putting in another stellar performance and in turn taking the Scottish Cup back to Ibrox, then the criticism is only going to amplify.

Again, criticism is nothing Cantwell is particularly adverse to, in fact he often seems to welcome it.

He says what he thinks, calls out criticism he feels isn't warranted and dishes out some stick himself.

In many ways, when all eyes are on Cantwell, that's when he seems to thrive most. He wants to be involved, he can't stand being left on the sidelines or playing a cameo role. If he makes an impact more consistently then he won't have to.

READ MORE: John Brown urges Rangers to keep cool and exploit Celtic's 'weakness'

Philippe Clement said last month that the match at Celtic Park "was not the game to put him [Cantwell] on" as he referenced being reduced to ten men by John Lundstram's red card.

Lundstram's inclusion in the starting 11 at Hampden will be a key consideration for Clement tomorrow with some sections of the support adamant he should not feature after his horror-show at Parkhead.

Surely, then, the door has been opened for Cantwell. So often, he is misinterpreted as a player on capable going forward and a total liability defensively - James Tavernier can attest to a similar misguided reputation in Scotland.

While that's not to suggest Cantwell is your typical holding midfielder who will anchor the midfield and dictate play - he might just be the player needed to match the mobility and overwhelming nature of Celtic's midfield.

Cantwell has already gone toe-to-toe with McGregor in a full-time scuffle, it's time again for the Englishman to test himself against one of the best in the country on the big stage.

Too often McGregor has strolled through matches against Rangers with acres of space and far too much time - which led to total domination for his side.

Cantwell is already amped up to go against the Celtic captain given their previous altercation - and dropping the little line that he 'wants to win more' than his counterpart.

Celtic against Rangers is always a blockbuster, when Cantwell is involved there is always intrigue. 

You want the spotlight on the big stage, it's there for the taking but it certainly won't be easy.

Rival taunts, pundit ding-dongs and nonsense rammies will only get you so far with supporters - if Cantwell wants to be the main man at Rangers he has to show it at Hampden.

He has all the tools at his disposal, the jigsaw simply needs put together. 

Do that, well then the headlines - and even social media posts - look a whole lot better. Shushburgers all round.