Rangers reaction: Major striker update, Jamie Vardy, player told he can leave and what angered Russell Martin

Rangers head coach Russell Martin hopes Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane will return to the senior squad next week after both strikers missed the 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Club Brugge at Ibrox.

The two forwards have been linked with moves away from Rangers this summer. Dessers is reportedly a transfer target for AEK Athens in Greece, while Lille have been mooted as a potential suitor for Igamane. However, Martin explained the situation on both players - and revealed the club turned down a bid for Dessers earlier in the summer transfer window.

“Cyriel has just been injured,” said Martin. “He had a niggly ankle. He’s here today. We turned down a bid a while away ago which was nowhere near the valuation. He’s been, he’s desperate to train. He’s needed treatment on his ankle and I’m looking forward to working with him. He will get on the training pitch and start enjoying it. He’s not kicked up any fuss, he seems a very good pro and I’ve been told that.

Cyriel Dessers is suffering from an ankle injury but Rangers boss Russell Martin hopes to have him fit next week. | SNS Group

“Hamza has been red tape. He was due to be back with international players but at the airport he didn’t have the right visa. It’s no-one’s fault. Things have changed since and he’s got his visa so he’s had to wait to get a new one which he will have tomorrow and he should be in this week.”

Asked directly if any bids have been received from Lille for Igamane, Martin replied: “Not heard anything. Nothing I’ve heard of.” He was then asked whether the duo would still be in his squad for the Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos on July 22. “That’s two weeks away so I can’t plan for anything in football,” he added.

Martin was also quizzed on how many players could come in to add to the five new signings so far and was probed on speculation that 38-year-old former Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy could be on his way to Ibrox after a move to Genoa in Italy reportedly fell through.

Jamie Vardy to Rangers addressed

On Vardy, the coach said: “I’ve been asked about so many players. Some are miles away, some on the money. I’m not going to give you an answer on that. You’ll find out who’s real and who isn’t.”

Elaborating on wider transfer incomings, Martin continued: “I expect the team to look different in a week but in a couple of weeks so much can happen in football. I definitely want to do more and probably some players need to move on because the squad is going to look very big and heavy. So it will definitely look different.”

One player who has been told that he does not have a future at Rangers is defender Clinton Nsiala, who did not play against Club Brugge and has dropped further down the pecking order following the signing of Emmanuel Fernandez.

Clinto Nsiala does not have a long-term future at Rangers. | SNS Group

“I think Clinton's at a point in his age and his career where he needs to play all the time and every week,” said Martin. “And he's trained really, really well. But I think rather than playing some in the squad, a bit like last season, he's at a point now where he needs to go and play football. It's the best way to learn. So we've had a really good conversation on this.

“I think it was an area we wanted to strengthen anyway and we will continue to strengthen. So to let him know the situation really early is probably the best for him to find the best opportunity to play football.”

On Ben Davies, who also missed the Club Brugge match, Martin said of the defender: “Ben's injured. So, he trained for a week and then picked up a small injury. So, he's just not fit.”

Martin’s centre-back options should be bolstered by the return of John Souttar, who is recovering from a minor hernia operation. “He’s good and has trained the last few days,” said Martin. “He’s looked absolutely exhausted but he’s reacted really well to the operation. He’ll be back in this week and play this weekend.”

‘Really good test’ for Rangers

Rangers fans got their first glimpse of a Martin team in their 2-2 with Club Brugge. The Belgian visitors were 2-0 up inside 13 minutes thanks to goals from Hugo Veltesen and Ludovit Reis, but the hosts responded in the second half and levelled through Mohamed Diomande and Findlay Curtis.

“In terms of preparation for a big game in couple of weeks [against Panathinaikos] it was a really good test,” said Martin. “If you don’t have a game in two weeks you probably don’t play opposition like this when the boys have only been back two weeks. I saw a lot I liked and a lot we need to improve on. I learned a lot about certain people and what they can do and also stuff that needs to become a habit all the time.

“In the first half we got caught in between because had a setback, which is interesting to us. We need to be proactive not reactive. I liked the energy in the second half, we weren’t aggressive enough in the first half but I give the benefit of the doubt with fatigue playing a part in terms of the team I put out.”

One element of his team’s performance did frustrate Martin though, wishing his players had showed more ruthlessness in stopping Club Brugge’s attacks earlier for the goals.

“I was angry at half-time,” added Martin. “And I don't really get angry about friendlies and stuff. But both goals were really avoidable. If you have to take the ball, and if you can't, we need to stop there attack in some other way.