RYAN HARDIE is determined to prove his worth to boss Steven Gerrard and show he can be part of his Rangers blueprint in the coming years.

The striker was handed a 12-month extension to his Ibrox deal after returning from a successful short-term spell at Livingston.

Hardie has now moved back to the Tony Macaroni Arena for another loan stint as the Lions prepare for the new Premiership campaign.

Injury denied Hardie the chance to join up with Gerrard’s squad at their pre-season training base in Spain over the last fortnight.

But the 21-year-old knows he must make the most of any chance he gets to catch the Liverpool legend’s eye if he is to earn another crack at the Ibrox first team.

Hardie said: “It was brilliant to get the new contract and to sign at Rangers again is massive for me. It is a massive club and where I want to play my football in the long run.

“I had the contract there for a while and I thought it was the best thing for me to sign it. It was good to get it done and I am excited about the future.

“I was in for the first week of training and spoke to the manager a bit. It was nothing major, we had a chat about my injury.

“Everybody is excited to have him in and you can see that. He has vast experience in the game and it is great for everyone involved.

“The aim is to play for Rangers but if you have to go on loan to show what you can do then that is what you need to do.

“The injury came at an unfortunate time and I have missed the start of pre-season so I have not had much of a chance to show him what I am about yet.

“Whenever I am on the park, I need to prove myself. Last season I only made five or six appearances but they were for the last five or ten minutes in games and it is hard to make an impression.

“If I get a run, I need to prove myself. I know I can score goals and that is what people want to see.

“Strikers are all about proving people wrong, you always have people that doubt you. The way you stop that is by scoring goals. That is what I will do when I get the chance.”