THE hard work is well underway for Rangers as they prepare for season 2020/21 – and boss Steven Gerrard is thrilled to be back after a near 14-week lay-off.
The Ibrox gaffer has been hugely impressed with how his players have reported back, with focus switching fully to the new season kicking off, provisionally, on August 1.
There have been numerous challenges to overcome for Gers to even reach this stage, but now they are back, the hard work has quickly got underway with the manager delighted to once again be working alongside his squad of players.
Speaking exclusively to RangersTV at the Rangers Training Centre yesterday, boss Gerrard smiled: "We are very excited and I think you can see it in all the players' and staff's faces. It was fantastic to see each other as it has been too long.
"We have obviously communicated via Zoom and Skype calls, but there is nothing better than actually meeting up and getting the camaraderie and the banter back.
"The first few days have gone extremely well - the players are in good shape and we are really looking forward to the new season.
"It has been very challenging for them with the amount of time [off], but I have to pay credit to the medical team and the doctor [Dr Mark Waller] who have performed extremely well in challenging times to make sure the players are getting all the correct work and the doctor has been on call all the time with any questions or doubts from the players.
GERRARD WAS SPEAKING EXCLUSIVELY TO RANGERSTV. SUBSCRIBERS CAN CLICK TO WATCH HERE
"So we have managed difficult times extremely well and I think you could see that from the first day - the players have come back in incredible shape with smiles on their faces and I think everyone is looking forward to getting going.
"I think everyone understands the situation and the government rules with social distancing and the amount of players we can have on a pitch at any one time.
"We have all had to adapt to that and that is the way it is - it’s not perfect and it is not what we all want, but what I will have to do is pay credit to the players in terms of their attitude and application in the first few days as they have worked extremely hard and performed in good spirits.
"They have done their work and more, and hopefully, in the short-term, the rules will relax and change and we can get back to normality and into our normal routine which is what we all crave."
Advising Gerrard, and indeed the whole club through the pandemic, has been club doctor, Dr Mark Waller.
His incredible experience has been invaluable for the manager, who paid tribute to his work over the last few months.
Gerrard added: "I had no doubts when Coronavirus first started - in the early days the doc was on the front-foot, which I expected.
"I have known him for over 20 years and I have ultimate trust in him. I knew we would all be fine as a club - he has looked after the whole club on his own really with the services he has provided.
"He's had Jordan [Milsom] and the medical team as fantastic support, but I think everyone else who maybe doesn't know the doctor as well as I do is seeing now what a top professional he is, and how good he is with the skillset he can bring to the table.
"It is the exact reason why I was so desperate to get him here beside me."
Given the nature of recent seasons for Rangers, the break between one season to the next is often short, therefore the manager was asked if some benefit could be gained from the extended break the players have had this season.
Answering that, he explained: "I understand the question as I think in terms of the body, people who have had niggles and aches and pains, it is certainly beneficial from that point of view - people could really have had a good rest and refresh to be ready to go again.
"I think from a mental point of view, probably not because we are all aware of what has gone on and certainly how the season finished and certain competitions last year, we're not happy how we performed in them.
"So from a mental point of view, certainly if the players are thinking the way I am thinking, I couldn't wait to get back and I'm desperate to get back into the real games again and really get going again to try and get this club back to winning ways.
"That is how I've been thinking and that is the feeling I have had inside my stomach and I'm sure all the players have been feeling the same."