STEVEN Gerrard has already met some of the Rangers players as he aims to hit the ground running in order to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.

The Liverpool icon has spent the first two days of his new job as Rangers manager working at the Toulon Tournament, combining scouting duties with completing his Uefa Pro Licence with the English FA. He flew back to the UK last night and is due in Glasgow just before he takes his team to Spain for a pre-season training camp, but he has already met some of the players because they were staying in the same hotel as him on holiday in Dubai.

The Europa League qualifiers begin on July 12, and Gerrard will demand Rangers jump start their season, even if he hasn’t assembled his best squad by then.

“Every game for Rangers is a priority. Of course, it’s going to be very difficult to have everything done and dusted by that first game but in terms of that first Europa League game, I don’t prioritise any game. The fact of the matter is, we want to be in the group stages of the Europa League so whatever players are available to me at that time will be expected to get results. And I’ll be expected to get results.

“I’m ahead of the game in terms of speaking to certain individuals and I’ll be speaking to more as we go along. The idea is to try to speak to the majority of them before we get back. But I also have to respect that some are on family holidays or international duty. There’s plenty of time from now until the first game of the season to have meetings and chats.

“I’m definitely ahead of the game. I’m not sure whether some of the players followed me to Dubai but a few were staying in the same hotel as me, so that gave me a chance to speak to them.”

Gerrard accepts the spotlight will firmly be on him from now on.

“I’ve not been surprised by the level of interest or intensity. I knew all about Rangers from the outside. I knew the size of the club, I knew the opportunity and size of the task.”