What is your reaction to the sad news of the passing of former Feyenoord coach and Celtic manager Wim Jansen?

I was just having lunch when it came on the screens so I’m very sad to hear it. I’m very sad that Wim Jansen has gone. I lived with the family, I know the family for many years. I had Wim as an assistant when I was a player as a coach and I was telling the story while we heard the news to Ross Wilson that he was the first coach, when I was a youth player, to let me train with players who were two/three years older than I was. He saw my potential when I was young and really helped me in my development as a player. I have really good memories of Wim Jansen. He's been an important player for the Dutch team, for Feyenoord, winning the European Cup in 1970, it was one of the biggest achievements of Feyenoord so it’s really sad to hear the news.

Joe Aribo is returning, how big a boost is that and will he feature tomorrow?

For me, it’s good to have Joe back. For himself, it’s not been a good result at the weekend so it’s bad for Joe that he couldn’t play on in the tournament. He’s travelling back from Nigeria today so will be back in Glasgow tonight so we have to assess him if it’s smart for him to be in the squad tomorrow but he will, for sure, be available from the weekend and, of course, after.

Rangers have written to the SFA regarding the performance of Kevin Clancy during the Aberdeen match, what do you hope to achieve from this dialogue?

I said before I think the dialogue always has to be open. I think I said in the last press conference we need to assess the decisions that are made and if it was the right decision or not. It’s easier to assess those decisions after a game because, in the heat of the game you have to make decisions in a split second. Sometimes you don’t make the right one, it’s normal because we’re all human beings but, in the end, I think the most positive thing that can come forward is to make sure we learn from the decisions that are made and try to be better prepared for the coming games.

I think we should see it as a positive thing because everyone in his profession will assess his performances, myself as well as a coach, my players do it all the time so I don’t think it has to be different for referees.

How keen are you to bring John Souttar to the club in this transfer window?

I said before we are happy that John will join us for next season and he will only come in this window if we think it’s the right thing to do. If not, then we will welcome him in a couple of months.

What is Alex Lowry’s chances of being promoting to the first team squad in the way Leon King has?

We have to keep assessing him in the coming weeks and months but he’s a player who trains a lot with us and made his debut so is part of the squad at this moment. For him, the thing to concentrate on is to make sure his development will get better and better. His minutes will come this season, we just have to assess him and his plan, almost every week, to see what’s best for him and his development because, at his age, he needs to play games and that can be either with the first team or the B team.

What are the keys to getting the victory tomorrow night?

We have to make sure we keep our standards in our way of playing and make sure we go for 90 minutes to win the three points. The away game we played, we had a tough game, a game where we scored the third goal later than we wanted but they showed, this season already, they can be very hard to beat because they’re quite a good team with a good spirit. They keep it compact, don’t give many spaces away for the opponent so we need to make sure we are at the top of our game and do everything to get the points.

How busy do you expect to be in the last six days of the window?

We have to wait. We’re always looking to add players to the squad and make sure we are prepared if something happens. I think it’s only good to bring players who can add something to Rangers and if we want players in, they have to be the right players otherwise you’d be better keeping your squad as it is.

You must be delighted you’ve held onto your key players so far in this window?

So far, yes, so I’m hoping it will stay like this. It’s always a crazy time the transfer window because you never know what’s going to happen so six days to go and we’ll just wait and see how it will evolve.

Can you give us an injury update, especially Ianis Hagi?

Ianis had to go off in the last game with an injury. We assessed him and Hagi needed an operation yesterday. He was operated on in London and we won’t have Ianis for the season so that’s a big blow for all of us. It’s a huge disappointment, especially for Ianis. I spoke to him this morning, he’s in a good place. Of course, he’s not happy that he has the injury and needed to be operated on but he’s quite focused now and positive for his recovery but we won’t have him for months.

That’s the bad news for us, the good news is we have Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield back in the squad tomorrow.

Are you as relaxed as you appear about certain players’ contracts ending in the summer?

I don’t think relaxed is the right phrase. I’m a coach who will always be alert and I think, always I had as a player, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable, you feel happy in a place you are in. That’s very important to achieve success so with contracts ending in the summer with players, I know if the feeling is there for them to continue and keep their focus on Rangers, it’s good.

But, you also know, if players are out of contract, maybe they feel they need another challenge or maybe want to move to another club. You know that’s the case with the players who are out of contract. Either you sign a new contract and you continue the relationship you have or you take different pathways but, for me, it’s all good.

The only thing is if you have players leaving, you have to get new players in. It’s a continuous process and also a process that’s not new for me when I was a player but also as a coach. You just have to make sure you are making the right decisions and if a decision has to be made or new players have to come in, you have to bring the right players in.

Is Ianis Hagi’s injury going to have any bearing on the transfer business or are you happy you have enough squad depth to cover for his absence?

It’s a big blow. We miss an important player who is not available for the coming months so we are looking to add a player to the squad but it needs to be a player we think is right. You don’t want to get players in just to make up the numbers, you want to make sure the balance in the team is good.

Are you keen on tying Alex Lowry up on a longer-term deal?

Of course, he made his debut in the cup. He’s already been an important player in the Academy and he’s a player we think will develop into a very good player for Rangers so we are putting all our energy into making sure his development will continue. But it’s only one game, I’m confident he will progress as well but, you also know with young players, it’s not always easy. I think his mindset is really good and the energy we are all giving him to develop even better is also there. I think he just needs to work hard and make sure he’s becoming a better player every day.

Can you tell us the nature of Ianis Hagi’s injury?

Ianis had a knee operation so he had to have reconstruction so we won’t see him this season. Hopefully, after the break we will welcome him back but it’s a serious injury so it’s bad news.

Steven Davis and Filip Helander?

We only have Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield back. Helander has been training for a couple of weeks, he’s doing well but he’s been out for longer than Scott and Ryan and Steven Davis is at the end of his rehab so he will join the training soon.