The 11 players who arrived at Ibrox this summer, permanently and on loan, held a combined average age of 23. The average age of 13 who departed was five years older at 28.

Rangers’ summer window was held up by outgoings as they sought to bring down an inflated wage bill and reset an ageing group. As the window progressed money freed up in wages was increasingly used to fund incomings. The Rangers Review understands that overall the playing wage bill has been reduced by £8-10million as the foundations of a new squad cycle, on lower wages, were built.

While internally the summer window is viewed as the start of a process, time to build in Glasgow is only made permissible by results and shoots of progress. You always inherit a legacy at a football club and the baggage of previous decisions.

The start of this season has been tricky for Philippe Clement. Out of Ibrox, with constant change above him, an early Champions League exit and another Old Firm defeat. Of course, isolated decisions the manager makes should not be void of criticism, and his team selection can fall into that category, but yesterday’s 1-0 win over Dundee United was a vital result that also produced some redeeming performances.

This is the tension Rangers’ summer window took place within - plan for the future while building a squad capable of competing now on a limited budget.

“I believe really hard in the potential of this squad. It's not the easiest thing with the situation that it was with seven players going out of the building for zero pounds, replacing them and then adding strength to the squad. It's a very difficult thing to do,” the Belgian manager explained post-match.

Hamza Igamane arrived at Rangers this summer (Image: StatsBomb) “Everybody in the club did the maximum to do it in the best way in this window and we will continue in the next window to improve things. It's good now that people finally can see also the potential of some players.”

Speaking earlier in the week, Clement added on a rebuild with limited resources: “It was a very difficult exercise for everybody; for the recruitment team, for the board, budget-wise to do that in a good way. That's the reality of this moment. On the other side, we had several players leaving the building who played a lot of games in recent years and were important for the team like John Lundstram, Borna Barisic and Kemar Roofe. But they were all over their best period. So it's a new cycle, you need to bring young players in who can add value for the future but they need to perform directly also.”

Clement was referring especially to Connor Barron, Hamza Igamane and Jefte - aged 22, 21 and 20 - yesterday in Tayside. All three were impressive in their own right travelling away to an in-form Dundee United who sat above Rangers in the table before kick-off. Only one of the last three visits to this ground had ended in victory before Sunday but after taking control of the game and its outcome early on, Rangers didn’t concede a single shot on target. While they struggled to regain the territory and possession of the opening 20 minutes after Goodwin shifted to a back four and pressed more aggressively, the visitors looked more likely to add a second than concede an equaliser. 

The xG trendline shows Rangers were deserving winners in Dundee (Image: StatsBomb) While Tom Lawrence’s goal, created by Cyriel Dessers, was the difference it was the performance of Barron, Jefte and Igamane that formed much of the post-match discourse.

Igamane has excited supporters, not least because of the lack of individualism they’ve watched in the final third over the past couple of years, with two appearances from the bench. Internally there’s a belief that the Moroccan forward will surprise people this season.

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Clement reasoned: “Hamza, like I said, when we signed him, it's a big talent. We had to do it now because if it had been one year later, we could never afford that kind of players. He's coming straight out of a Moroccan competition, Moroccan culture. Everything is new for him. He was also injured when he came. So it took time to get him more fit. And that's what we're going to do the next weeks and the next months, to give him opportunities to grow as a young player. But you see already a lot of good basic qualities.”

Coming off the bench the forward looked more than comfortable in his surroundings - perhaps that’s the biggest compliment you can pay Igamane so early into such a new stage of his life and career. He was bright on the ball, plucking more than one pass out of the sky and placing it exactly as intended. An ability to drop deep into the spaces Dessers hadn’t exploited and link the play took the pressure off a Rangers defence that only had a one-goal lead to protect. Attempting 14 carries in 25 minutes on the pitch, Igamane now looks ready to contribute to a side that badly needs such qualities.

Hamza Igamane's carry map vs Dundee United (Image: StatsBomb) Barron and Jefte have seen far more game time already. Normally a 22-year-old who’d played less than 25 90 minutes in the league for Aberdeen last season wouldn’t be thrust in as the centrepiece No.6 of a Rangers midfield, but like the left-back spot Clement has required the Scotland midfielder and Jefte to quickly assume responsibility. “From the first moment that Connor stepped into the building, I saw he is really somebody who wants to take responsibility,” Clement said.

“He wants to show quality every second and every training and every game. Connor has also the mandate from me to be demanding towards the rest of the team in that way, so he will grow in that role.”

When Rangers are pressed their build-up can become a little direct, even if Robin Propper and John Souttar’s partnership is helping to bait pressure more effectively and play through. A No.6 was one of the missing parts of this summer window, and had Dundee United not sat deep early on it’s unlikely that Clement’s side would have dominated like they did. With that said, Barron in possession was impressive. Not only pivoting from side to side with his distribution but breaking lines through the defensive block.

Connor Barron's pass map vs Dundee United (Image: StatsBomb) “People forget he’s 20,” Clement said of Jefte, who it shouldn’t be forgotten is the junior of Robbie Fraser. On the ball, the left-back’s qualities are obvious. Jefte can carry the ball individually, move on the outside or inside and progress play with a whipped cross or dangerous carry. Off it, while the defensive side of his game is clearly not as strong, the win at Tannadice featured few nervy moments or mishaps. Jefte’s link-up with Oscar Cortes was exciting in moments, another bright spark who played just 45 minutes as Rangers try to build up a player yet to manage consistent minutes in Glasgow.

The arrivals of Jefte and Igamane are both examples of Rangers recruiting in new markets previously unexplored, one of the key selling points for appointing Nils Koppen as head of football recruitment. Barron is proof that the Ibrox club cannot miss what is under their nose in extended scouting missions across the globe - another prerogative it’s believed Koppen is expected to work towards moving forwards. Jefte and Barron are better players at present than the two they replaced, Barisic and Lundstram, but a decade younger and on considerably lower wages. Igamane’s spot was previously occupied by Kemar Roofe who managed 6.7 league 90 minutes the past two seasons combined.

Breaking the chain of short-term decisions made in previous years this summer would always likely result in an inconsistent start. Striking the balance between building value, lowering wages, decreasing the squad’s age and competing now. Wins like yesterday is the only way to achieve the buy-in his project requires.