Rangers reveal 'pivotal' transfer priority as Derek McInnes assesses Djeidi Gassama future

The 55-year-old will be wearing those buttressed brown brogues he’s already been getting a little bit of heat about from predictable places. When he reaches the visitors’ dugout ahead of the first game against Dundee United and turns to face the pitch, he will know he has the Rangers fans behind him – literally as well as metaphorically speaking.

Sections of the away support will be massed over his shoulder in the Jerry Kerr and Jim McLean Stands. He wants and needs these fans to remain behind him for the length of his stay at Ibrox. But he knows he won’t get by simply because he is one of them and, to quote many of these fans who welcomed his appointment, 'back home’.

Speaking to a gathering of newspaper reporters on the eve of the new season, McInnes said he was conscious about not "regurgitating" what previous Rangers managers had already said, often simply to please supporters. He added: “It is easy to say something, it is harder to implement it and do it.

“I do not want to just say what people want me to say. I know what needs to be done. I am determined to do that. I do not want to let anyone down.

“I am well aware of that responsibility. There is work to do but we will do it. I intend to do it well. I want to enjoy being the Rangers manager. I want my players to enjoy playing for Rangers. We can only enjoy it if we are winning.”

Ah yes, what some, including many of his recent predecessors, would agree is the hard part. Winning matches, specifically opening day ones. Rangers have dropped points in this game for three consecutive seasons. On each occasion Celtic have won their opening league fixture meaning the incumbent Rangers manager – Michael Beale, Philippe Clement and Russell Martin last season – has been placed under immediate pressure. It hasn’t worked out well for any of them. McInnes is under no illusions.

“I just think that a lot of teams are not fully equipped at this stage in terms of all the recruitment,” he observed. “We’re still a good but short in terms of what we want to do.

“But we've got to look at what we have got rather than what we've not got. I don't want to make any excuses. Dundee United have got an advantage in that I've played four competitive games and we haven’t.

“I do think that is certainly an advantage, but of course we've got so many more advantages over Dundee United. In terms of the resources to bring in a level of player, it's important that we actually look at what we have got in the building. We are more than capable of going up there and getting a positive result.

“I'm pleased with the fitness of the team. Obviously some players are ahead of some others as is the way of it. But I really want us to make sure that we're ready competitively for the game. There's no excuse if we don't win the game. I do think in terms of a balanced squad, we're still nowhere near where we want it to be.”

Rangers need a right-sided attacker

It’s patently clear that Rangers are short of an attacking right-sided player, which McInnes hopes to address. “We're looking at the right-hand side more than anything,” he said. “We've got players who can play on the other side and play it a bit more naturally. We're continually assessing the score, but that key position on the right-hand side is pivotal for us.”

Getting the supply lines right for Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti and whoever else is playing through the middle for Rangers is vital to the side’s ambitions. That goes for the left side too. The future of Djeidi Gassama, who hit the ground running when he arrived last year, is still a matter of some speculation. Is he a McInnes-type player? Time will tell. The manager certainly seems keen to give him the chance to show that he can be.

Application seems key for someone who scored four goals in his first four appearances and just five more in his next 53. Judgement will be made on his all-round game, however.

“Gass has got the potential to be what we want here, and we're just looking for that a bit more often,” said McInnes. “He's another one that never really played his natural position for a long period last season. If he wants to play from that left-hand side then he's got to understand what comes with that, and the responsibility to get up and down the pitch and produce at the right moments.”

McInnes is confident the first game will take care of itself, over and above what it means for him personally as a supporter and former player. He is returning to a former club in Dundee United but then he will be doing that a lot this season. He has direct links to five of the other 11 teams while fans of at least two of the others love to harangue him. He is going to need thick skin. McInnes is only looking as far ahead as Friday night.

“To be honest, with the game live on Sky and being the first of the Premiership season, there is so much focus on it (anyway),” he said. “The ingredients are all there. It will be a full house. The Rangers fans will turn up full of expectation and in full voice, like normal. I want to tap into that positivity and play the game a certain way.

“We need to give them the team they expect,” he added. “While we are not going to be perfect at this stage of the season, I don’t think any team will. We just need to make sure we are good enough to win the game.”