TALKING RANGERS

PEDRO CAIXINHA has backed loan signing Declan John to go from strength to strength on the left hand side for Rangers this term.

The Welshman scored his first two goals in Light Blue during the 4-1 win over Hamilton on Friday night as the Gers got back on track in the Premiership.

John will deputise at full-back for Lee Wallace in the coming weeks after he was ruled out of action with a groin injury.

And boss Caixinha reckons there is plenty more to come from the 22-year-old as he looks to make a name for himself at Ibrox.

He said: “Declan is a player that was never coached how to play as a left back, so he did it a couple of times with us and he did it very well, because we are a team that likes to attack and likes to have the full-backs attack, so he can give us that.

“We will try to coach him a little bit more now, not only to defend the wide area but the relation with the winger in front of him, the midfielder on his side and also the centre-half from his side.

“He needs to know those relations and which space he needs to cover when he is defending, but he is also a player who can play as a winger.

“He can provide us with those sort of approaches on the game and even for example if in one special game, at any stage of the game, we need to play with three on the back, he can be the one that is full-back and winger at the same time.

“So we have players that can perform and give us some different characteristics and some different options depending on the problems or the solutions y you mightg need to look for in the game.

“Declan is growing in that position, now we need to coach him how to defend in that position because, as you see, getting in attack and being involved by the overlaps or underlaps or getting in the box, crosses delivered and even scoring goals, he’s doing it.

“Now we need to work on the other parts to have a balanced player as well.”

John could be joined in defence by Ross McCrorie at McDiarmid Park as the youngster looks to retain his starting spot.

McCrorie has impressed in his outings against Partick Thistle, Celtic and Accies in recent weeks as the Under-20s stopper has taken his first steps in the Premiership.

The Light Blues Colts beat Brentford 5-2 in the latest match of their new games programme last weekend.

And boss Caixinha is keen to see more Auchenhowie kids progress i nto first team contention.

“Yeah, we got a lot of positives, it was good for them and it helped the boys to get that rhythm,” he told RangersTV.

“But also to follow some of the young players that now, because we have some of our players from the first-team squad out, they are playing with us and they are training with us so it’s great.

“I think Ross [McCrorie] opened the door again for those players and understood the conversation we had with them at the beginning of the season, when we said, ‘we are having a look at you, keep working, we are going to call you when we have the need for players in your position because we know and we trust you and if there are circumstances when we need to place you in the first eleven or with the substitutes and give you the chance, we are going to give you it.’

“That’s what we are living in this moment. [Jamie] Barjonas is a player we already know and Aidan [Wilson] is another, so he is going to get 105 minutes against Morton because we will play three periods of 35 minutes on Saturday.

“This is what we want in terms of the relation with the under-20s and we want to go deeper with the under-17s as well.

“We want to work on the same wavelength, under the same methodology, under the same concepts, under the same structures or formations and under the same vision and ideas.” been really limited but what you need to do is just keep training hard and when you get that opportunity, you need to be ready. I think in the games I’ve been called upon, I’ve done well.

“It’s never nice not playing, but I’ve always been there and thereabouts with the squad, constantly training hard and just looking to impress the gaffer and try to get back in.

“At Hamilton, the gaffer wanted me to go on and sit in where Jacko was previously. We were down to 10-men obviously, so it was going to be difficult, but I was to go in there and just keep the shape.

“It was a case of seeing the game out, but I was happy just to come in and help the team.”