PLAYER PROFILE

Zurab Khizanishvili

Position: Defence

Height: 6'1

Weight: 12st 8lbs

Date of Birth: 1981-10-06 Tblisi, Georgia

Zurab Khizanishvili

Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes snapped up the Rangers defender Zurab Khizanishvili on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day in August 2005.

Khizanishvili moved to Ibrox on a free transfer in June 2003 from Dundee as a replacement for Lorenzo Amoruso, who had just signed for Rovers.

The Dark Blues swooped to sign him from Lokomotiv Tbilisi in March 2001 and he made 43 SPL appearances for the club before moving to Rangers.

He played 42 SPL games for Rangers but soon found his opportunities at Ibrox dwindle, meaning the lure of Rovers and Barclays Premiership football was too much to resist.

He made thirty-two appearances all in all, scoring twice, and signed on a permanent basis in April 2006. The 2006/07 season was also a good one for him and he is now considered a vital part of Blackburn's defensive line.