Sick Philippe Clement opens up on Hampden pitch, Danilo situation, exiled duo and his housebuilding joke

It was a bunged-up Philippe Clement who presented himself at the Rangers media table on Friday afternoon. The Belgian has been laid low by the lurgy the past few days, putting paid to his plans to inspect his team's new home on Thursday.

Clement did not look 100 per cent as he fielded questions on Rangers' first match at Hampden Park this season. It's been a busy week for the 50-year-old, with Rangers on Champions League duty in Lublin against Dynamo Kyiv - presumably where Clement picked up his bug. The manager will be present at the national stadium on Saturday, though, for the visit of Motherwell in the Premiership.

The flit five miles away from Ibrox is down to a delay in materials arriving from Asia to complete work on the Copland Stand. The tentative hope is that Rangers may be able to return to Govan by the end of September for their game against Hibs, but the honest truth is that no-one really knows exactly when the stadium will be ready. Clement has not sought assurances from the board on when they'll be back.

Rangers play their first 'home' game against Motherwell on Saturday. | SNS Group

"I don't know if you bought a house or you built a house one time?" Clement joshed with one reporter when asked if he had been in chairman John Bennett's ear for a timescale. "It's different in the UK. There are not so many new houses. That's true. But yeah, it's in the hands of other people. It's not in the hands of the club. So until everything is done perfectly, there are no guarantees in that way. Of course, everybody is pushing to have it as fast as possible. But nobody can give guarantees around that."

Clement's mood may be darker come 5pm on Saturday if Rangers have not taken all three points against Motherwell. Already trailing Celtic by two points after the first round of fixtures after a 0-0 draw with Hearts at Tynecastle, there is little margin for error. Although the Steelmen may resent not being at Ibrox either - they won 2-1 on their last visit there.

Rangers have not made special arrangements for moving to Hampden. Clement and his players have enough experience already of the place. They've won and lost a cup final there under his watch. Asked if Rangers have made a visit this week, the manager responded: "No, I don't think it would make a difference to be there. Our schedule has been really busy. There was no time to do that. Ninety per cent of the squad played several games there. So it's only for the new guys. It's the same with European games when you play somewhere else. It's not a big difference."

Some concerns have been raised about the pitch at Hampden. Relaid after a couple of P!nk concerts earlier in the summer, Rangers had to fork out to the Scottish Football Association to make sure it is ready for competitive action. Clement has sent henchmen to take a look at the surface and reports have been positive.

"I'm happy about the pitch," Clement confirmed. "That's really important. The people worked really hard to have a good pitch. That was my idea to go and check it yesterday. But it was not possible because I was sick. But I hear it's really good. That's the main thing for us. There was good cooperation between the two [sets of ground staff]."

Philippe Clement has been struggling with illness. | SNS Group

Now it's about what happens on the pitch for Rangers. Clement has to be careful with his team selection, with some of his squad still not ready for 90 minutes. There is also the prospect of the second leg against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night, back at Hampden, with the third qualifying round delicately poised at 1-1.

Rangers fans want to see more of Danilo, who has been an unused substitute in the past two matches. The Brazilian is only just back from seven months on the sidelines due to knee surgery. Clement explained why he has been so cautious with his return.

"Dani is an exciting player," said Clement. "He was really good when I made my start here. He played a lot of minutes, scored good goals and did the right things. But it's been a very serious injury when you're seven months out. It's a normal thing that you need a little bit more time to get to your best form.

"We will work with him on that. It's getting better and better. And of course, playing minutes, that also depends on the situation in the game. If you're leading the game, it's also easier to give some minutes. Otherwise, we need to see where we get on."

One man Rangers fans won't see is Todd Cantwell. The playmaker told Clement in the close season that he wants to leave and as a result has been jettisoned to the B team. Images emerged on Friday of him training, sparking speculation that he may be back in the first-team picture. Clement put that to bed.

Todd Cantwell still appears to be on his bike. | SNS Group

"I have no idea about that," Clement replied when quizzed if an exit is close for the 26-year-old. "Yes, he's training separately because he said clearly that he wanted to go." Ianis Hagi is another who is reported to be very close to leaving, with some claiming his contract will be ripped up. "Not a rumour that I hear until now," stated Clement. "It's my job to see what's necessary for the squad, what profiles we need. There are other people financially making decisions. So it's about that. It's not me making those kinds of decisions.”

All roads therefore lead to Hampden. "At the moment, I'm training, I'm working, I'm playing games with the players who want to do that here," added Clement. He will hope those selected get the job done in the first 'home' game of the season.