JAKE HASTIE MAY BE A DIAMOND, BUT HE NEEDS SOME POLISHING

The former Motherwell youngster is making his first tentative steps in a Rangers jersey following his meteoric rise from a loan spell at Alloa to Ibrox, and while he showed signs of promise here, he also displayed a level of rawness that showed he is far from the finished article.

To be fair to the 20-year-old, he was always willing to get on the ball and take on his man, and he did manage to get into dangerous areas. It is just that final ball and finish that needs a little work, along with his decision-making at times, and Rangers could have a real player on their hands.

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO PLAYS UP FRONT, GOALS WILL FLOW

The cliché goes that having a selection problem like the one facing Steven Gerrard, where he has the choice of Alfredo Morelos or Jermain Defoe for his lone striker role, is a good headache for a manager to have. In this case, it rings true, as – assuming Morelos remains at the club – both strikers are in red-hot form even this early in the season.

Morelos bagged a hat-trick here and Defoe came off the bench to score a double, and while the opposition might not have been up to much, it is clear that confidence is flowing from both frontmen.

RANGERS FRINGE MEN HAVE WORK TO DO TO IMPACT STARTING LINE-UP…

Only two of the players who started the first leg in Gibraltar started here at Ibrox, with Connor Goldson and Glen Kamara retaining their places in what was largely a second-string line-up.

There were those who came in and impressed, but there were also some fringe men who may feel they could have made more of the opportunity.

The likes of Matt Polster and George Edmundson did well enough, and in fairness, it was a difficult night for any of the Rangers defence to shine given they were under little to no pressure, but they may feel they could have done more to make a pitch for a regular jersey.

…BUT THERE IS ALSO SOME REAL QUALITY WAITING IN THE WINGS

While Steven Gerrard has concentrated largely on adding some depth to his squad over the summer, there are also some big decisions for the Rangers manager to make when it comes to his regular starting 11. Chief among those, assuming Morelos remains at the club, is who to start in the lone striker role, but that isn’t the only welcome headache Gerrard will have.

Scott Arfield also came on here, and elsewhere in attack the likes of Jordan Jones, Sheyi Ojo and Jamie Murphy are still waiting in the wings.

Further back the pitch, Steven Davis, Ryan Jack, James Tavernier, Niko Katic and Allan McGregor all sat this one out, showing the range of quality options that Rangers now have at their disposal for the long season ahead.

RANGERS WILL HAVE CHANCE TO AVENGE PROGRES DEFEAT

Technically, this was something that was determined elsewhere, but there is little doubt that Rangers will be relishing the prospect of gaining a measure of revenge for the defeat to the Luxembourgian side, a result considered by many as the worst in the club’s history.

That will be particularly true for the likes of James Tavernier, Andy Halliday and Wes Foderingham, survivors of that torrid night when Pedro Caixinha ended up in a bush two years ago. Much water has passed under the bridge at Ibrox since then, and Rangers will be keen to show they are an entirely different beast under Steven Gerrard.