19 year-old Patterson has been excellent for Gers in Tavernier’s absence, and in midweek, assistant manager Gary McAllister suggested the two could even play together in the same team in the future.
Tavernier today saw that as an opportunity to stake his claim for a different position, smiling: "I've always wanted to play up front! I keep on saying to the gaffer in the shooting drills that I have always wanted to play up front, but Nathan has been a credit to himself.
"He has been working extremely hard and I have been really proud to see the progress that he has had in developing this season.
"He has set a great standard now and he has just got to keep his head down and keep training really hard.
"But going forward, that is the gaffer's decision if he wants to include us both, but I will be definitely available to play up front!
"I have had a challenge since I first walked through the door at Rangers, and you always benefit from the challenge and it always makes you push extremely hard and makes you work harder.
"Nathan has come in and done really well and has done well for the team since he has been in being such a young age.
"So he has got to keep pushing me, pushing himself and pushing the team and I have said that he can go all the way."
The skipper was quizzed on how he was feeling following his return to action, and he explained: "It feels good. It was frustrating as I have not been out for that long maybe since I was 18, but we have worked extremely hard to get back and with a little bit of patience along the way, it has been good.
"It has given me time to reflect and see how well the boys have been doing, so I am buzzing to be back.
"I was absolutely delighted for the boys, the club and the fans [winning the league]. It has been a long season and it was a day where we were all together, albeit not a game where we played and won it.
"We were altogether, but although I was injured, I could celebrate with the boys and it has been extremely positive, even when I have been injured being in among the boys and doing my normal stuff and encouraging them."
Tavernier will lead the Light Blues into a Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday, with St Johnstone the visitors to Ibrox.
Victory will put Rangers through to a Hampden semi-final, and a further opportunity to win the tournament to round off an incredible season.
Tavernier spoke about the determination in the squad to make that a reality, and added: "We were disappointed when we were knocked out of the League Cup earlier this season, and it is something we don't want to repeat.
"We want to try and go all the way. We have shown a great performance against Celtic of how much hunger and desire there was in the team to go all the way and try to win this trophy.
"So nothing changes - we are Rangers Football Club and we are always going to try to win trophies.
"What I have noticed, even since becoming champions, is we have not changed anything we have done.
"We are continuing to progress and learn from every environment we are in.
We are always trying to push harder, and the demand at this club is to win every single game and nothing has changed since I walked through the doors when I first came here.
"The boys have all got that, so we just try to win every single game possible and just try to improve along the way."
MATCH HUB: You can follow all pre-match build-up and live coverage of the game HERE.
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