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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Graeme Young

Stewart Robertson provides Rangers Europa League update as he announces pre-season fixture plans

Excited Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson admits the Ibrox first team are "itching" to return to action ahead of the new season.

Football has been in cold storage since March with the Ibrox side playing the final match in Britain against Bayer Leverkusen before the game was placed in cold storage.

But the Premiership is set to return in August and Robertson has lifted the lid on the plans that are in place as Rangers boss Steven Gerrard and his players get set for a return to training next week with restrictions about to be eased in Scotland.

Speaking to Rangers TV he said: "The plans are coming together well.

"There has been a lot of background work, Ross (Wilson) and the team, the medical team, have got really extensive plans in place for when the players come back.

"We're hoping to be back around June 15, that's the plan at the moment, there's been a lot of detailed work behind the scenes.

"We look forward to announcing a couple of pre-season friendlies as well. We obviously need to get the guys up and running again and back into that side of things.

"But we need to do it safely, and we need to do it carefully, there's been a lot of work done in the background, it looks as though the League Cup is going to be moved back to October or November time, that's not been confirmed yet but that's the latest.

(Getty Images)

And the Ibrox chief also is hoping for clarity from UEFA next week as the European football governing body meets to decide the roadmap for continental action.

They will reveal all dates for international and European games on June 18, including the Ibrox side's Europa League trip to Germany as they aim to overturn a 3-1 first leg defecit.

He added: "We're still waiting to hear from UEFA when we will be playing the second leg of the Bayer Leverkusen tie.

"Indications are early August but we've not had that confirmed, there is a UEFA committee meeting mid-June, we are hoping to hear then.

"Hopefully we will also confirm the details of the Europa League qualifiers for next season, it will be good to get those dates firmed up. Then we can start really properly planning on what we are going to do.

"The plans are going well, the guys are itching to come back, they've all really missed it, we've missed it, the fans have missed it, it will be good to get everyone back but to do it safely and carefully."

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