Philippe Clement insists he will continue to be patient with Danilo amid calls from supporters for the striker to return to the Rangers forward line.

Danilo has yet to make a competitive appearance this term after being named in the squad for the Premiership opener against Hearts and Champions League draw with Dynamo Kyiv. Cyriel Dessers has been given the jersey in both matches and repaid Clement’s faith as he scored a late equaliser in Poland to give Rangers the edge in their third qualifying round tie.

Danilo missed the second half of the campaign after suffering a serious knee injury at Tynecastle in November. He earned his first minutes this term in the friendly with Ajax last month but is unlikely to start when Clement’s side host Motherwell at Hampden this afternoon.

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The centre-forward berth remains an issue for Clement as Hamza Igamane continues to build up his fitness following his arrival at Ibrox this summer. But that situation will not impact on Danilo’s steady rehabilitation schedule as he looks to play his part this term.

“Yes, I understand that,” Clement said when asked about the wish from supporters to see the striker back in action. “Dani is an exciting player. He was really good when I made my start here. He played a lot of minutes, scored good goals and did the right things. But it's been a very serious injury when you're seven months out.

"It's a normal thing that you need a little bit more time to get to your best form. We will work with him on that. It's getting better and better. And of course, playing minutes, that also depends on the situation in the game. If you're leading the game, it's also easier to give some minutes. Otherwise, we need to see where we get on.”