Having an uncle in a previous Rangers team paved the way for the talented nephew to make the right choice, and last season, he made the first-team breakthrough.
Unfortunately, due to a left-flank problem in the team that just won`t go away, young Fleck was asked to play on the wing. He acquitted himself well for the most part, but it was clear that he was wasted on the periphery.
He impressed in several games, and had the character to seize the ball and score from the penalty spot in a pressure situation, but too many of us felt that he`d been over-hyped. I wasn`t one of them.
I rate Fleck, and I want his talent to be ruthlessly exploited. He should have a number 10 on his back, and given every assistance to conjure with his craft. He has the gift of football and should have a healthy involvement in the game.
He isn`t a striker in the traditional sense, but he`ll score goals. He`s not an obvious midfielder either, but he`ll create and destroy in the game`s engine room if asked to do so.
Fleck is a trequartistas - a three-quarters. Maradona would probably recognise the term. It`s Italian and is used in that country to describe those talents which are allowed to roam free, neither striker or midfielder, but with the ability to do both - like the great Argentinian himself.
The player is physically mature at an early age, and that`s probably why there have been comparisons with Wayne Rooney. Holding back John Fleck now or playing him out of position will do nothing for his development.
The boy is ready to rock - let`s take a gamble for once - and make John Fleck the Rangers trequartistas.