Edu hopes to inject freshness into title run-in

The USA midfielder scored the only goal as Rangers beat Hamilton 1-0 on Saturday to cement their position at the top of the table, ten points clear of Celtic, who beat Hibs 1-0 on Sunday.

Injury problems have limited his appearances this season, but Edu believes his lack of fatigue can help push a weary Rangers side over the finish line.

He said: "It's been a long season and because we have a small squad there haven't been as many changes and a lot of the guys have played a lot of minutes.

"Me coming in at this late stage of the season, having missed so much of the season, it's like I'm just getting started. I'm eager to play and bring a little bit of freshness."

Edu was happy with the scrappy win over Hamilton and says that taking all three points from the match was more important than putting in the perfect performance.

"It was an important win for us," he explained. "It wasn't a great performance from us but we were just really pleased to get the three points. We've edge a little bit closer to retaining the title and that's the most important thing for us on reflection.

"We'd obviously have liked to put on a great show but at this stage of the season it comes down to getting results when you need them and we were able to do that."

Hamilton captain Alex Neil, meanwhile, believes James McArthur, who had an effort wrongly ruled out for offside at Ibrox, can be a success in the Barclays Premier League as he prepares for a trial at Wigan.

He said: "If he does as well as everyone at our club thinks he can do, then there is no reason why he can't go down there and play at that level."