Giovanni van Bronckhorst remained coy on whether Alfredo Morelos could start Tuesday's Champions League return with Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox on Tuesday night.
The Colombian hitman returned for the final 26 minutes and found the back of the net following five months out injured as Rangers ran out 2-0 winners over Kilmarnock to make it two wins from two in the Premiership. All focus now turns to reaching the play-off round of Europe's premier competition with his troops trailing by two goals from the first-leg in Belgium. Summer signing Antonio Colak also got off the mark in the Ibrox triumph with the gaffer making four changes to his side today that lost midweek. The Dutchman faces a number of key decisions ahead of the return with Ryan Kent also in a race against time to make the showdown.
Monaco or PSV await the winner in the final qualifying stage with a spot in the competition proper alongside Celtic the big prize on offer.
READ MORE: Ex-Celtic man on Rangers' 'statement' transfer, title race and 'can't afford to lose' UCL verdict
On Morelos' return and his chances of starting on Tuesday, the Dutchman said: “It is his first minutes for Rangers after five months. If you think about it, it is a really long time and almost half a year.
"It was good to have him in the squad. You can see what he brings, not only to the squad but also the way the fans treated him when he came on.
“That is also what you have when he plays and he is always capable of scoring goals. For him, I think these first minutes of the season and after five months was very important and I am sure he will only get stronger with each game that he is going to be involved."
On today's win over Kilmarnock the Ibrox boss added: “I’m of course happy with the three points. That’s what we need every week.
"The way that you get to the three points is different every week. In the first half we were struggling to get some real good opportunities.
"We started really well against a Kilmarnock team who were delaying the play and making it really difficult for us to create any chances. But we’ve played many games like this before.
"In the second half you hope it will open up with all the energy you give in the first half to make sure you create more space in the second that. That happened today.
“We scored some good goals and got a clean sheet. It’s good we got a second win and now we’re working hard for Tuesday.”
The likes of Steven Davis, Tom Lawrence and Milk Tillman came in for praise from Van Bronckhorst for their performances in the home win over Derek McInnes' side.
He continued: “We had some players who played really well and gave the team what was needed. Steven Davis it was his first start this season but you see still the ability and quality that he has.
"He showed that again today. I’m pleased with his performance. I thought Tom Lawrence played really well in the pockets and gave us the threat we needed up front together with Malik. Those players you need in the team to create if you’re playing against a deep block.
“He [Tillman] came in a couple of weeks ago and has been welcomed by the team really well. You can see his talents are really high from the academy of Bayern Munich and also played competitive games for them. You can see the quality that he has.
"He’s a strong player, you could see that today. Some players when they come to play in this league struggle a little bit in the beginning but hes not had any problems with that. And his technical ability is of a very good standard. Today he created some chances for us. Just before he came off there was his pass to Morelos. It’s a player who is capable of creating those chances for us.
“And I’m happy for my two strikers. Antonio’s first goal and Morelos as well. So that’s always good to have them on the scoresheet."
READ NEXT:
- Livingston blast 'unacceptable' Rangers game scenes as 'irresponsible few' prompt Lions reaction
- Rangers star 'banned' from Livingston as David Martindale makes honest red card admission
- Joe Aribo in post Rangers viral wonder goal as he makes honest admission on Southampton transfer
- Rangers Champions League draw confirmed as Light Blues land difficult playoff assignment
