By Scott Greer

Thursday will be the 2nd time Rangers face English opposition, and reignite the ‘Battle of Britain’ derby as they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.

A win is needed for both sides, not just for bragging rights but for the Europa League table too. Going into the game, Rangers currently sit 8th, one point behind Manchester United in 7th, both look likely to qualify to at least the play-off round, with the top eight receiving automatic progression into the last 16 of the competition.

Despite a relatively disappointing domestic campaign from Rangers, in Europe the blue side of Glasgow has flourished, with standout performances from the younger players in the ranks, such as Hamza Igamane, Ridvan Yılmaz, Connor Barron, Nicolas Raskin, Jefté and Clinton Nsiala. All six names mentioned are expected to play Thursday night except Mohamed Diomande, who is suspended for the game, but would also be included in the list of young players.

The transfer strategy from Rangers is clear with buying players with potential for little money and trying to move them on for millions, making a profit, which makes the Europa League the best place for some of the squad to introduce themselves to a wider audience.

Igamane is the standout from the list, heading into the match with a record of 16 goal contributions in 25 appearances, with one already against English opposition in Spurs last month when the sides met in Scotland.

Rumours flying around currently are linking the Moroccan striker with moves elsewhere in this window, however new Rangers Chief Executive, Patrick Stewart has already ruled out a sale of the youngster.

“We don’t want to sell Hamza in January, we want him to be here for the second part of the season, I’ll be very clear on that. I think I would be told it was irresponsible if we sold a player. There’s always a balance, but January is not typically a window in which those sorts of transactions take place. We want him to be here for the second part of the season, as I’m sure all the supporters do as well.”

Director of Recruitment, Nils Koppen so far has done a solid job in terms of incomings with only Robin Pröpper being the outlier amongst fans. The January window is expected to be quiet on that front with only one or two incomings expected.

With Rangers trailing behind Celtic both financially and on the pitch, Rangers will need players like Igamane, Raskin and Jefté to step up, just like they will need them to step up in Thursday night in another huge game on the European front.