Rangers squad boosted further with duo set to compete for first-team places imminently

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed that Jordan Rossiter and Gareth McAuley are close to first-team action, providing the squad with even more depth than in recent weeks.

Northern Ireland international McAuley joined the club at the start of the month but has yet to make his debut having had to work up match fitness before suffering a calf problem.

Rossiter meanwhile has missed the start of the season with his own injury problems, despite looking like he had put all those fitness setbacks behind him in pre-season.

Speaking after yesterday’s win against St Johnstone, Gerrard reckons that both are close to joining selection contention.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, Gerrard said:

Kyle is not available on Wednesday so Alfredo will go again.

‘He had his rest on Thursday night.

The squad is in a good place – a few others are also close to joining the squad.

Rossiter and McAuley are close and Dorrans has another 30 minutes under his belt.

We now need to recover and get ready for a big night on Wednesday because I’m sure our fans want to go Hampden, I want to and the players should want to go too.

The Gers host Scottish Championship side Ayr United on Wednesday night at Ibrox, hoping to end Ian McCall’s side from progressing any further in the Scottish League Cup.

Getting to the semi-final would be further proof of the progress being made under Steven Gerrard and give the club a real chance of securing early silverware in 2018/19.

With the games coming thick and fast, it’s heartening to hear that numbers in the squad are being boosted, giving the team even greater depth.

Will McAuley or Rossiter displace anyone in Steven Gerrard’s side? Share your thoughts in the comments below…