James Penrice insists Rangers still have "more gears" to find despite their emphatic victory over Celtic.
The defender has warned against getting carried away ahead of Sunday's return meeting.
Derek McInnes' side produced a stunning 3-0 win over their rivals in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, continuing the feel-good factor that had been building after four successive victories.
But Penrice has stressed that Rangers are far from the finished article and believes there is still significant room for improvement. He said: "I definitely think we’ve got more gears to go, but at the same time I’m very wary that it’s one game at a time.
"There’s evidence that it’s a lot better, but let’s not get too far in front of ourselves. Sunday’s massive, and ultimately we need to go there and win the game, so we’ll be looking to do that."
The left-back believes the sense of togetherness within the squad has been key to the recent turnaround under McInnes, who began his reign amid disappointment in Europe before overseeing a marked improvement in results.
Penrice said: "It definitely feels like a real team, and that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give the boys, and for the manager as well, as we’ve created that from a difficult position.
"We’ve managed to turn it, but it’s not fully turned yet; we’ve still got a lot of work to do, and it’s definitely one game at a time.
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"I think the gaffer will probably say it, we’re not the end product; we’re not there yet."
Rangers head to Celtic Park this weekend looking to complete a derby double inside a week, although Penrice expects a very different challenge from the one his side overcame at Ibrox. He said: "From our players’ point of view, we don’t go there and worry about fans.
"We think the game will be different. They’ll probably change stuff; we’ll probably change stuff. It’ll be a different game, but we’ll go there with the mindset that we’re going to win, and that’s what you need to do as a Rangers player.
"You need to go to these places and win."
Penrice also reflected on his own memorable derby experience after being deployed in midfield rather than his usual left-back role.
He revealed the tactical switch had been discussed extensively with McInnes beforehand and admitted he was delighted to contribute to such a significant result. Penrice said: "As soon as you’ve seen the game kicked off, you’ve just seen me take off. I’ll play absolutely anywhere.
"I think if you’d have told me at maybe 21, 22 that I’d get to play in an Old Firm match, I’d have probably laughed at you. But for me, the last few months, it’s just been brilliant.
"I genuinely love coming into the building every day, love coming into training, and I love playing football."
