Gio van Bronckhorst has admitted that Rangers' clash with Kilmarnock came "too early" for Ryan Kent but remained coy on his chances of making their upcoming Champions League qualifier.
The Light Blues bounced back from their disappointing first leg defeat to Union Saint Gilloise as they prepare for the crucial second leg at Ibrox on Tuesday. Derek McInnes' side put in a battling performance as the visitors held firm, but they couldn't contain the Rangers frontline in the second half as Antonio Colak netted his first competitive goal since joining from PAOK, before a returning Alfredo Morelos got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The match marked the second consecutive tie without Kent and the Dutchman played his cards close to his chest on the winger's fitness going into the reverse fixture against the Belgians. Speaking after the Scottish Premiership win, he told the BBC: "We want to have everyone on board for Tuesday.
"Today was too early for Ryan. He has been working hard, so I have a reasonable hope that he will be involved on Tuesday."
Van Bronckhorst was also quick to sing the praises of both Colak and Morelos for their key contributions. The Rangers boss said: "I'm very pleased. Pleased for them, and pleased for the team, of course.
"It's always very difficult when you play against opposition who make it difficult for you to create any space. We try to score as quickly as possible, and we did really well with some dangerous moments.
'After that we were having problems creating chances because space was so limited. You know that when you keep pushing the space will come in the second half.
'At half-time we kept our calmness, and it came in two very important goals for the strikers. We are happy and we move on to Tuesday."
"We want to be better in every game. We had the disappointment of (last) Tuesday and we have to change our attitude for today and switch back to the domestic league. We brought in fresh players and they all contributed today."
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