GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST provided an update on both his meeting with Alfredo Morelos and any potential incomings at Ibrox before the transfer window closes.
The Gers boss was speaking after Rangers sealed their place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup with a 3-1 win over Queen of the South at Ibrox.
Here is everything the Dutchman had to say.
What were your thoughts on the game and the experimental lineup?
We changed a lot of players today. It was good to have the 11 on pitch to give them minutes and to raise their levels of fitness. It was important to get through. We gave debuts to a few academy players, which is good. For them it's also something positive to keep working hard so they can eventually play more games in the first team. I’m really happy.
All Rangers fans are wondering how the meeting with Alfredo Morelos went? Does he have a future at the club?
We had a good chat on Sunday. He had a good week, to train, but also to think about his future. I had a good talk with him. As I've said before, he’s still a Rangers player. He will be important in the next month and the season. I saw a change in his attitude, how he worked. He needs to keep continuing to work like this for the coming months, to be the player he can be and the player who can give us a lot.
Are you expecting any new faces before the week is out?
I’m relaxed. There's still a couple of days. You never know what will happen in those days. You have to be prepared. At the moment I think this is the squad we're going to have. As I've said before, we created a squad to be competitive and to qualify for the Champions League, which we did. I'm quite relaxed.
Has Scott Arfield given you a selection headache for Saturday and is Ridvan Yilmaz someone who can challenge Borna Barisic in the coming months?
It was good to see Ridvan play. He’ll only get stronger in the coming games. I know what Scotty will bring. It's not the first game that he’s played. It's not only about this game, but it's about giving them minutes. I'm aware of the strengths of my players. Of course, you want to use as many players as you can. You look at the set up on the pitch and the opponent. That's why you saw the line-up you did and it was good to give players minutes.
You've given minutes to new signings and academy players in recent games. Does that mean that you could spring a few surprises on Saturday?
I don't know. For me the preparation starts tomorrow. I'm happy with the performances of the young players. I spoke to them before the match and I said if it's possible I'll give them minutes. I think you saw some bright things: [Archie] Stevens, [Paul] Nsio is a strong midfielder, and both are only 16. [Zak] Lovelace is a big talent, [Robbie] Ure. [Leon] King, [Adam] Devine obviously started the game and are still very young. The academy is a big part for this club. I love them working with them and giving them chances to play.
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