MOTHERWELL defender Stephen McManus is relishing a taster of what the new season has to offer, as he gears up for his side’s first competitive game of the campaign against Rangers on Saturday.

The re-vamp to the League Cup means Scotland’s players have been dragged off the beaches and pressed into action sooner than they are accustomed to, but far from complaining, McManus is looking forward to sampling the excitement generated by the return of Rangers to the top flight.

With his old club from the East End of Glasgow responding by bringing in arguably their highest-profile manager since McManus’s days at Celtic Park, the experienced centre-half says everyone in the game is feeding off the buzz that surrounds the Scottish football scene once more.

“It’s been great,” McManus said. “When you see the players Rangers are bringing in, and just having them back in the league is great for everybody.

“It’s been tough going and I think football clubs up and down the country have felt the pinch. You can see clubs have struggled with Rangers not being in the league whether through attendances or just the excitement – it’s definitely not been the same.

“With Brendan [Rodgers] coming in, I’ve probably not felt the buzz like this since Martin O’Neill came in and you knew Celtic were going to spend money. Whether it lives up to those expectations we’ll have to wait and see, but I think it’s great for the game, I really do.

“He's a top, top manager at the top end of his career. He's not a manager on his way down. I've no doubt when he left Liverpool he had multiple options from the English Premier League or abroad. For the game and Scottish football it's absolutely terrific.

“At the time Martin came in he had won things at Leicester and he was a Premier League manager on the up. Celtic had a tough couple of years and then suddenly you saw a different level of player coming in.

“He brought in Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Neil Lennon – guys you were seeing on Match of the Day when you were a young kid, well-known Premier League players. Obviously with the way the game has changed Celtic won’t be able to do that, but you can see their intent with bringing in Moussa Dembele, it’s a really good positive signing for the football club.

“It brings excitement back to the game. There is going to be competition from all sides this season. Rangers will be strong, Aberdeen will be strong, Hearts will be strong, and although my gut feeling is that Celtic will be too strong, it’s good to have that challenge back in the game this year.”

McManus, of course, has fond memories of the last time Rangers visited Fir Park, with his side romping to a 3-0 win and a 6-1 aggregate victory a little over a year ago to preserve their Premiership status at the Ibrox side’s expense.

With so much water under the bridge at both clubs since then though, including the appointment of new men in both dugouts, he has dismissed the idea that the play-off encounter would have any bearing on Saturday's match.

“It's a completely different proposition,” he said. “First and foremost, neither team will be up to full speed. If it wasn't Rangers we were playing, we'd be going in to the League Cup campaign as an introduction to pre-season, as other clubs are doing.

“It's a big game for the club and a great game. They'll want to come and make a statement of intent for the season ahead. They'll be looking to win the game.

“It's on television and it's two teams from the top division. It'll get everything going, but it's not a life or death situation like the play-offs. That was a hyped game. I think it is important everyone cools the jets a wee bit and we will see how it goes.

“Certainly for us though it’s a great first game. I don’t think we will be up to full speed and I don’t think Rangers will be up to full speed the way you would be if you met five or six games into the campaign.

“It’s going to be different but it’s one we’re definitely looking forward to.”