It’s a long time until Rangers are back in action, even if Philippe Clement has demanded that his players keep active during their holidays to return in a better shape than they have done before.
Thankfully, the European Championships get underway soon and will help fill the void left by the end of a season that had more downs than ups during a rollercoaster campaign.
It is always a good reflection of the club to see players called up for international duty, however, on this occasion, Rangers will be quite happy that most of the squad will be reporting back well refreshed.
International week sees familiar Rangers faces
One of the biggest issues after winning the league in 2021 was that a lot of the squad then went away for the delayed European Championships with Alfredo Morelos on duty with Colombia at the Copa America.
Pre-season training was missed by many and some only returned just in time for the Champions League qualifiers against Malmo, Morelos missing the first leg.
In truth, despite an early lead in the league, Rangers never really got going and the rest, is history.
This summer sees John Souttar and Ryan Jack in Scotland’s preliminary squad with a few more players of an Auchenhowie persuasion also called up.
Souttar isn’t fully fit yet but Steve Clarke expects the centre-half to play some part against Finland on Friday night and he could be joined by Jack.
Jack came off the bench for his first game time since March as he looks to impress a new club following his release by Rangers.
Alongside him was a player who he spent time with at Rangers – Ross McCrorie.
The former Scotland Under-21 international always seemed destined to play for his country but has taken the long route via Aberdeen and now Bristol City.
He has also made it playing as a right wing-back as opposed to the defensive midfielder or centre-half roles that he performed more regularly for Rangers.
McCrorie’s athleticism, power and work rate make him the sort of player that Clarke will love, and he can be proud of his efforts on his senior debut.
Kenny McLean and Billy Gilmour partnered in midfield to take the Rangers connection to four, but there was another player who is formerly of the Ibrox parish who raised a few eyebrows.
Nikola Katic makes surprise Bosnia appearance at Wembley
Nikola Katic was picked to play his first game for his new country Bosnia after previously being capped by Croatia in 2017 and called up in squads during his time at Rangers.
He arrived in Glasgow with a promising reputation but, despite a positive start, just couldn’t improve enough to keep his place in the starting XI.
The 27-year old was on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against England, however, his personal performance was enough to suggest that he will be around the international stage for the foreseeable future.
There were never any real doubts about the big defender’s ability to do the dirty work at the back and he could be a solid addition to a Bosnia team looking to close the gap on their Baltic rivals.
Rangers fans might not get to see many of their own playing in Germany this summer, however, after the last few seasons, club must come before country.
