Rangers kicked off the Russell Martin era with a friendly draw, but the new head coach expects the side to look very different before their first Champions League qualifier. On-loan Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons was the only one of Rangers five summer signings to start in Sundays game against Club Brugge while centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez came on for the last half hour.
Joe Rothwell, Lyall Cameron and Thelo Aasgaard played no part in the 2-2 draw but were introduced to the Ibrox crowd at half-time. Rangers sign Rothwell and Fernandez to boost Martins optionsIn full: Scottish Premiership 2025/26 fixturesNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Eighty per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky SportsRangers start their bid to qualify for the Champions League two weeks when they host Panathinaikos in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie.
While Martin was pleased with their showing against the Belgian Cup winners, he admits there is work to be done ahead of his first competitive match. I much prefer the mentality of the team in the second half to the first half, he told Sky Sports News.
I think we started okay, then conceded, and then the team looks a bit different, which is understandable after two weeks of work. The teams going to look very different in a weeks time, two weeks time, so you hope to just keep improving.
In time, the stuff that we are instilling now will just become habit and will become second nature. I said to the guys that they have to think a lot at the minute and theyre under big fatigue physically and mentally because theres a lot of detail to take in, a lot of new stuff.
It will become like breathing to them, it will become instinctive, so Im looking forward to it. A number of players have been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer, including former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy and defenders Conor Coady and Nasser Djiga, but the former Southampton boss refused to be drawn on who could be next to sign.
We have to make sure theyre the right ones in terms of character and talent, you cant have one without the other at this football club, he added. Absolutely delighted with who weve brought in, theyve definitely made us better.
I expect us to, again, look different in a weeks time to what we do today. Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season From next season, Sky Sports Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports
