STEVIEUPFOR FRENCH TEST
STEVEN GERRARD reckons Rangers’ glamour friendlies against Lyon and Nice is perfect preparation for their Premiership opener at Aberdeen.
He was content as he watched his side – minus five regulars – blow off the cobwebs in their first action for four months with a win over Hamilton.
Goals from Calvin Bassey on his first start and a late Alfredo Morelos penalty was enough to beat Accies who had led through Ronan Hughes.
While Gerrard, who also handed a debut to keeper Jon McLaughlin, admits there was rustiness in his players, he praised them for fighting back to win.
Steven Davis, Ryan Jack, Allan McGregor, Filip Helander and Nathan Patterson all sat out with minor knocks.
But midfield duo Davis and Jack will be back for the trip across the Channel for the ‘Trophee Veolia’, in Lyon next week.
Games against the Ligue 1 duo will be followed by a Ibrox friendly against Motherwell on Wednesday, July 22 before Coventry visit on the Saturday.
“It’s been really tough to arrange friendlies in pre-season with the coronavirus,” Gerrard told RangersTV.
“To get teams of the level of Lyon and Nice to test ourselves is valuable, especially going into Aberdeen first game of the season.
“They’ll be tough tests. The physicality will go up. The mobility and quality of the opposition will go up with all due respect.
“But we need to be ready for that. Today will get the players ready for that and we will also have Ryan Jack and Steve Davis available who are two key members of the team.”
Gerrard admitted his side were sloppy to begin with as they fell behind to an eighth-minute strike. But he was happy with the second 45 minutes.
He said: “I’m pleased with a lot of it but there’s still work to do.
“I thought we were very slow out the blocks, that can be normal as players are a little rusty and the cobwebs are on.
“But we showed character and a lot of courage to get back in the game and we should have won it by more.”