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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Mark McDougall

Steven Gerrard lays down Rangers challenge to Scott Wright as he makes 'next level' prediction

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has challenged Scott Wright to take his game to the next level by getting more goals and assists.

The winger put in a man of the match performance at Ibrox as his side cruised past Cove Rangers to set up a mouthwatering clash with Celtic in the fourth round.

Wright got one assist and was unlucky not to get a few more, and probably should have got a goal or two under his belt as well.

But Gerrard wants to see more from him in the final third and believes he has to have better end product to match his exciting build-up play.

He was thrilled with how the 23-year-old played but believes he can take the next step up and become a Rangers regular with a few tweaks to his game.

He said: "I thought he was really exciting. It’s a shame this stadium isn’t full. They love a wide man here, they love a player who is tricky and skilful. I thought he did a lot of things well tonight.

"We need to keep working with Scott. The last bit of his play needs to improve, his shots on goal, his last pass. We want to try and get more numbers into his game and we will. He’s a work in progress.

"Derek (McInnes) and the team at Aberdeen did superb with him, and we want to try and help him keep progressing and become a top player.

"If he can put a final bit on a lot of his good play, he can go up a level in times to come."

Rangers take on Celtic in the next round and Gerrard admits he's happy to have another home draw, but warned it'll be a tough task to get past their old rivals.

The two sides will meet at Ibrox in two weeks time and Gerrard is looking forward to it, but warned the focus must stay on Hibs for now and insisted the success in the league counts for nothing as they look for cup glory.

He added: "(Winning the cup) is a responsibility which comes with representing this club. The league was fantastic and we’ve had a lot of praise for that but we want it to be a start and a catalyst for more. We haven’t done well in the cups since I’ve been here and we want to try and improve on that.

"It’s going to be a big challenge in the next round but one we should be excited about and look forward to. We’ll have to play well to get through, but first and foremost we have to focus on getting a result against Hibs.

"You’re always looking for a home draw. It’s a fantastic game for us to look forward to. It’ll be tough, they’re a good side and I’m sure they’re going to be desperate to finish the season on a high. Two good teams who will go for it but we’ll be ready for it when it comes around.

"We played well for large parts of the game, really happy with the result, a clean sheet and another good strong home performance.

"I would have liked another few goals but the boys tried their best. Credit to Cove, they were getting bodies in the way and the keeper made a few good saves but all in all a good performance and into the next round we go.

"We wanted to pick a strong team, it’s a squad we’ve been building for some time. I’ve had strong support from the board and time to build the squad. We’re in a stronger position now in terms of substitutions and when we need to offload players the standard of player coming is improved on year one or two.

"We’re in a healthy place, there’s still a lot to play for. This cup is the priority for us now but at the same time we want to see the league campaign out really strong and try and stay unbeaten. There’s a lot to play for and it’s a good time to be in this team."

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