LUCA GASPAROTTO insists he is content to play the waiting game as he bids to make his Rangers breakthrough this season.

The 18-year-old defender has been touted for a bright future at Ibrox, but has found it impossible to dislodge the defensive pairing of Lee McCulloch and Bilel Mohsni this term.

His only first-team action has come with Stirling Albion, with the Canadian kid playing the final game of his short-term loan spell with the Binos in Saturday's 1-0 win over Queen's Park.

McCoist can also call on Emilson Cribari and Sebastien Faure to fill in at centre-back, with youngsters Ross Perry and Chris Hegarty still on the road to recovery following injury-hit spells.

And Gasparotto is confident he is improving all the time, even if he is not starring in the Ibrox first team.

He said: "The gaffer has brought in a lot of players at Rangers but that's not a bad thing.

"When I'm training with more experienced players that helps me. You can become better just by being in that environment and being around them every day.

"With me not being as experienced, I look up to the likes of Emilson and Jig, who have both been around for ages.

"Centre-half might not be Lee's natural position but he does so well on the pitch and it's great having all these players to learn from."

Despite lacking Rangers action, Gasparotto has had a first call-up to Canada's national side from boss Benito Floro, to go to a training camp in Florida this week. He is determined to make his mark on the world stage.

Gasparotto told rangers.co.uk: "As a young boy, you dream of representing your national team and at 18 you can't ask for anything more than that. It's unbelievable.

"Just knowing the national coach knows who I am and that he's willing to invite me into a full national team camp at my age is great.

"I'm going to try to build on this and hopefully it won't be my last spell with the squad.

"I've worked through all the youth levels and the feedback I've had from the coaches has been really good.

"Everything in the last while has been a learning experience for me. It's a learning curve and I'm still a young boy.

"I feel as though I'm further ahead than where I should be at this age and things have gone really well for me."