Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst makes Champions League statement after stern Spurs test

A second-half brace from England captain Harry Kane secured victory for Antonio Conte’s side, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and will play in Europe’s premier club competition in the 2022 campaign /23, at Ibrox yesterday.

The Europa League finalists had taken the lead in the first half through Antonio Colak, who scored for the first time since completing a £1.8m move from PAOK to Greece this month- ci, but they could not return to the score sheet.

However Van Bronckhorst, whose men face Livingston in their Premiership opener at the Tony Macaroni Stadium on Saturday, was not concerned about the end result and argued that coming up against forwards like Kane and Heung Min Son was a beneficial exercise for his loads.

Rangers will face Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round in Belgium on Tuesday this week and their Dutch manager is optimistic they will be ready for the game after the encounter with Spurs.

“We want to make sure we develop in the way we want to press and attack, so we used this game against a very good opponent in terms of quality,” he said.

“The result was not that important. We could have played very defensively, 5-4-1, and waited for the moment to attack, but I wanted to have the same moves that we always have to attack against big opponents because that’s how we will get stronger.

“You saw today also that you have less time on the ball because of the quality of the opposition, it’s also a very good environment to develop as a player and as a team.

“It was good for my defense to play against these quality players because in August we hope to be in the Champions League group stage.

“Kane and his son?” They are like in the top five, the six best strikers in the world. Not only in attack, but in transition moments with the speed they have. I think we do very well at certain points in the game, but at certain points you also see their quality. Especially in the second half.

“You see the appreciation from the Rangers fans because they see the quality they have and they’ve been cheering for them as well.”

Van Bronckhorst added: “When I arrived in November, I had to start against Sparta Prague after a training session. We had the team together for a longer period to train more.

“I’m really happy because we played against good opposition, last Tuesday against West Ham and today against Spurs who are in the top four. We all see the quality they have, you saw that on the pitch, but at some points in the game we played really well and hopefully we will play against other top teams in Europe this season.

Van Bronckhorst is without Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, both injured, and he was delighted Croatia international Colak opened his account for Rangers in the first half.

“I think it’s always important for forwards to score,” he said. “I think he had the most minutes in pre-season and also with PAOK. So he’s very fit and ready for the start of next week. We’re working hard to get the other forwards fit as well. .

“We wanted a lot of players to have 90 minutes today to be ready for next week. Some players were a little late so they played a little less, but tomorrow (Rangers play Queen’s Park in a rebound game today today) is a chance all other players will have 90 minutes and almost everyone will be ready to start next week.

Allan McGregor, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who signed a one-year contract extension that keeps him at Ibrox until 2023 last month, made a string of exceptional saves during the game to show he was has no intention, as some Rangers fans have suggested, of playing understudy for Jon McLaughlin in the coming season.

Van Bronckhorst, who faced Scotland international McLaughlin in the 3-1 win over West Ham at Govan on Tuesday night, was unsure who he would prefer between the sticks in the new season.

When asked if he has decided who will be his first-choice keeper next campaign, he replied: “No, not yet. We give goalkeepers playing time so that they are physically fit. ready for the season. This week the games will start.”