Dundee have completed the cinch Premiership’s first signing of transfer deadline day by taking Norwich goalkeeper Jon McCracken back to Dens Park on loan.

McCracken made four appearances for Dundee at the start of the season but lost his place when Trevor Carson joined from St Mirren and both parties agreed to terminate the loan deal in August.

The 23-year-old went on to join Accrington on an emergency loan and played 13 times and now cannot play for anyone else this season other than Dundee.

With Carson missing some recent games through injury, manager Tony Docherty told his club’s website: “It is important for me to have strong competition in every position for the last part of the season and I want that with our goalkeepers and bringing Jon in gives us a real level of competition.”

Celtic are set to wrap up the loan signing of Norwich striker Adam Idah after the 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday.

The Republic of Ireland international has scored 17 goals since graduating from the Canaries academy, with seven of them coming this season.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is also keen to add a left-back as Greg Taylor is out injured, with 31-year-old Paris St Germain player Layvin Kurzawa mooted as a possibility.

Midfielder David Turnbull, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has been linked with a £2million move to Cardiff, while Gustaf Lagerbielke’s proposed loan move to Italian side Lecce could be scuppered amid reports of further injury concerns over his fellow centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

There could be big news at Rangers amid reports from Italy that Hellas Verona are set to launch a bid to sign striker Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers are expected to complete the signing of 20-year-old Colombian winger Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens with an option to buy after he arrived in Glasgow.

However, the Ibrox club look to have been thwarted in their bid to land Brazilian left-back Jefte from Fluminense. The Gers hoped to recruit the 20-year-old immediately, but he is currently on loan with APOEL Nicosia and the Cypriot club are reportedly intent on keeping him until the end of the campaign.

Motherwell are still looking for at least one further addition after signing 22-year-old Welsh forward Jack Vale on loan from Blackburn on Wednesday, and assistant manager Stephen Frail gave fans fresh hope there might be a loan return for Groningen striker Kevin van Veen.

“I’m not sure anything’s out the water,” Frail said on Thursday morning. “That could be one of those last-minute things.

“There will be one or two people that the manager and recruitment team are looking to bring in. Any developments will maybe be last minute or later in the day.”

Aberdeen are said to have had a bid rejected in an effort to re-sign Mattie Pollock on loan from Watford, a day after Barry Robson was sacked as manager.

Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months, but the Jambos go into the final day of the window without any notable approaches having been made for their top scorer.

The Edinburgh club signed Scott Fraser on Wednesday, but it looks unlikely that they will secure Yan Dhanda before the deadline after the Ross County playmaker agreed a pre-contract to move to Tynecastle in the summer.

Staggies boss Derek Adams said on Tuesday he expects the 25-year-old to remain in Dingwall for the rest of the season, while he hopes to add at least one or possibly two new players.

St Johnstone are reportedly hoping to land 25-year-old striker Adama Sidibeh from English non-league side Warrington Rylands.

Livingston boss David Martindale hopes to sign a new centre-back as well as Inverness midfielder David Carson, while Hibernian are another club in the market for a central defender.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes said on Wednesday “we may still look to add one if we can”, while his St Mirren counterpart Stephen Robinson is happy with the make-up of his squad and not planning for much deadline-day business.

Outside of the top flight, Lowland League side Albion Rovers have sold striker Joe Bevan to Premier League Burnley for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old scored 15 goals for Rovers, including nine in League Two, after joining from Camelon 12 months ago.

Celtic are set to wrap up the loan signing of Norwich striker Adam Idah as the transfer deadline approaches.

The 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday to complete a move to the Hoops until the end of the season.

The Republic of Ireland international has scored 17 goals since graduating from the Canaries academy, with seven of them coming this season.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is also keen to add a left-back as Greg Taylor is out injured, with 31-year-old Paris St Germain player Layvin Kurzawa mooted as a possibility.

Midfielder David Turnbull, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has been linked with a £2million move to Cardiff, while Gustaf Lagerbielke’s proposed loan move to Italian side Lecce could be scuppered amid reports of further injury concerns over his fellow centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

There could be big news at Rangers amid reports from Italy that Hellas Verona are set to launch a bid to sign striker Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers are expected to complete the signing of 20-year-old Colombian winger Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens with an option to buy after he arrived in Glasgow.

However, the Ibrox club look to have been thwarted in their bid to land Brazilian left-back Jefte from Fluminense. The Gers hoped to recruit the 20-year-old immediately, but he is currently on loan with APOEL Nicosia and the Cypriot club are reportedly intent on keeping him until the end of the campaign.

Motherwell are still looking for at least one further addition after signing 22-year-old Welsh forward Jack Vale on loan from Blackburn on Wednesday, and assistant manager Stephen Frail gave fans fresh hope there might be a loan return for Groningen striker Kevin Van Veen.

“I’m not sure anything’s out the water,” Frail said on Thursday morning. “That could be one of those last-minute things.

“There will be one or two people that the manager and recruitment team are looking to bring in. Any developments will maybe be last minute or later in the day.”

Aberdeen are said to have had a bid rejected in an effort to re-sign Mattie Pollock on loan from Watford, a day after Barry Robson was sacked as manager.

Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months, but the Jambos go into the final day of the window without any notable approaches having been made for their top scorer.

The Edinburgh club have already bolstered their squad with the loan additions of Dexter Lembikisa and Scott Fraser, but it looks unlikely that they will secure Yan Dhanda before the deadline after the Ross County playmaker agreed a pre-contract to move to Tynecastle in the summer.

Staggies boss Derek Adams said on Tuesday he expects the 25-year-old to remain in Dingwall for the rest of the season, while he hopes to add at least one or possibly two new players.

St Johnstone are reportedly hoping to land 25-year-old striker Adama Sidibeh from English non-league side Warrington Rylands.

Livingston boss David Martindale hopes to sign a new centre-back as well as Inverness midfielder David Carson, while Hibernian are another club in the market for a central defender.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes said on Wednesday “we may still look to add one if we can”, while his St Mirren counterpart Stephen Robinson is happy with the make-up of his squad and was not planning for much deadline-day business.

Alastair Johnston has become “more and more convinced” about Philippe Clement since the Belgian came through a Rangers interrogation to become manager.

The 49-year-old former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss was one of several potential candidates who threw their hats in the ring last October when Michael Beale departed the Govan club.

After impressing the Ibrox board to earn a deal until the summer of 2027, Clement has rejuvenated the Light Blues and their supporters.

The Viaplay Cup returned to Ibrox for the first time since 2011 with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in the Hampden Park final in December, a place in the last 16 of the Europa League was secured and the Gers continue to chase down cinch Premiership leaders Celtic, currently sitting five points behind with a game in hand.

Rangers non-executive director and former Gers chairman Johnston, 75, who is based in the USA, told the PA news agency that Clement stood up to some severe scrutiny before he took charge but the appointment is looking increasingly positive.

He said: “The process Philippe had to go through before he joined the club, before we signed off on him was probably as thorough as I’ve ever experienced.

“We can’t deny that there has maybe been a couple of short-sighted decisions in the past, but this time we all had a chance to participate at the board level.

“From my standpoint, it’s my way of doing things. I don’t interview people. I interrogate them.

“That can sometimes be a fairly, in-your-face experience.

“It was a very healthy, very candid, two-way conversation. He correlated his expectations and ambitions with Rangers and we found out he does his homework carefully with respect to what the expectations were for Rangers as well as what the limitations were, and that was a big tick mark.

“Since my first engagement with him, albeit the first one was on Zoom because of geographical reasons, I’ve been with him quite a lot personally.

“I was there for the first several games and with every day that went by, I became more and more convinced that we’ve done the right thing.

“It seems like it’s been there for a long, long time. From the board’s perspective, the fact that he’s done what he has done in a relatively short period of time, makes it even more impressive.

“We’re playing a little bit of catch up right now, but we are very appreciative that most of the supporters are giving us a chance. If we don’t deliver in the long term then we will hear about it.

“But at this point in time, all I can say is I’ve got a lot of confidence. But it’s football. We are not in there with any guarantees, on or off the field.

“I’ve been around a long time and know that in football you’re only as good as your next result. So I’m never ever going to be presumptuous.”

Jack Butland believes Rangers are continuing to grow under Philippe Clement after showing their adaptability to beat St Mirren 1-0 in Paisley.

Swirling wind at the SMiSA stadium on Saturday lunchtime made good football all but impossible but ultimately striker Cyriel Dessers’ goal after 14 minutes – his 12th of the season – was enough to take the three points back to Ibrox.

Rangers remain five points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand and Butland told RangersTV: “We are developing as a team. There is obviously an end goal of what we want to achieve but we have to take it a game at a time and get the results that we want and we did that.

“We got the job done. We went there to get three points and a clean sheet and we have done that.

“As far as playing the football that we want, perhaps not, but it is what this league is about.

“You have different tests, it was a different game to Wednesday night (3-0 win at Hibernian) where we are able to play more football in better conditions but it is a sign of how the team is growing.

“It (conditions) don’t allow you to get it down and play the passes you want to play in tighter areas so you do have to adapt and play to the conditions but that is part and parcel of the game.

“We would be naive if we thought we could play exactly how we played the other night.

“Sometimes you have to be sensible and get the result and that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve created openings without taking too many chances. It was a great finish from Cyriel and we got the result we wanted which is the business we are in.”

Stephen Robinson handed a first league appearance to January recruit Hyeok-kyu Kwon, the midfielder who is on loan from Celtic.

Attacker James Scott, initially signed on loan from Exeter before he joins Saints on a permanent two-year-deal in the summer, came on in the second half to make his debut while Jaden Brown, who arrived on loan from Lincoln last week, remained on the bench.

The Buddies boss told stmirren.com: “I don’t expect to bring anyone else in.

“The deal was I could only bring players in if I got players out so ultimately maybe one more player will leave to balance the three players that came in.

“But I believe we will come out of this transfer window in a better position with a more balanced squad with competition in each position.”

Cyriel Dessers again showed his growing importance to Rangers with the only goal in a narrow 1-0 win over St Mirren.

The 29-year-old striker was not initially a popular figure among the Rangers fans in his early months at Ibrox following his summer move from Cremonese.

However, he has slowly worked his way into the supporters’ good books, especially since the arrival of boss Philippe Clement in October, and he pounced after 14 minutes of the cinch Premiership game in Paisley to score for a third successive match.

The crucial strike took his tally to the season to 12 and keeps the Light Blues in pursuit of league leaders Celtic.

It was a tough afternoon for the Govan side in difficult conditions against a determined Buddies outfit who pushed them all the way.

Following the convincing 3-0 win at Hibernian on Wednesday night, Clement made four changes with defender Connor Goldson back from suspension and Dujon Sterling, Scott Wright and Dessers coming back in while Stephen Robinson returned captain Mark O’Hara and forward Lewis Jamieson.

The swirling wind was a difficult opponent for both sides but the visitors started better without unduly troubling Zach Hemming until Dessers struck.

Midfielder John Lundstram’s perfectly-weighted pass from the middle of the park allowed Dessers to run clear of the Saints defence and round the hesitant Buddies keeper before rolling the ball into the net and taking the acclaim of the travelling fans.

St Mirren were forced out of their shell and the response, led by striker Jonah Ayunga, was impressive.

In the 20th minute midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu, on loan from Celtic, blazed the ball over the bar from 12 yards to the groans of the home support.

Moments later, at the other end, Gers skipper James Tavernier clipped the outside of the post with a powerful drive from 20 yards.

However, the Ibrox side were struggling to build on their lead.

Light Blues keeper Jack Butland blocked a Jamieson drive with his foot after the Gers defence was breached again, albeit the offside flag went up.

And in the 37th minute Butland pushed a drive from Kwon round the post but the corner was defended.

St Mirren had edged the first half notwithstanding the goal and the visitors brought on Tom Lawrence and Ross McCausland for Scott Wright and Todd Cantwell at the start of the second half and it re-energised the Govan side.

Sterling headed a Tavernier cross over the bar in the 54th minute before Dessers smacked the base of the post with a left-footed drive.

Robinson needed another avenue towards the leveller.

Ayunga and Jamieson were replaced by Mikael Mandron and debutant James Scott, who signed initially on loan from Exeter in midweek with the deal becoming permanent in the summer.

In the 79th minute there was a VAR check for a possible St Mirren penalty for a handball in the Gers box following a corner but no action was taken.

A terrific block from Ibrox defender John Souttar denied Alex Gogic a strike on goal and, from the resultant corner, James Bolton headed off the post.

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has bracketed Steven Davis alongside George Best in the pantheon of Northern Ireland greats following the midfielder’s retirement on Thursday.

Davis is most closely associated with Rangers where in two spells at the Ibrox club he won four titles, as well as lifting both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup on three occasions.

The 39-year-old played 140 times for Northern Ireland – the UK male international caps record –  while former Manchester United and Northern Ireland winger Best is generally accepted to be one of the best players ever to have played the game.

Robinson, capped seven times for Northern Ireland where he played alongside Davis and who was assistant to Michael O’Neill at Euro 2016, said of his former team-mate: “He’s, if not the best, then he’s right up there.

“He should be mentioned in the same bracket as George Best. In terms of his longevity and what he has contributed to Northern Irish football.

“Obviously two completely different players, two completely different positions but in terms of recognition I think he will be recognised in that bracket as one of the greatest players ever to play for Northern Ireland.

“He is such a talented boy and what he has done for Northern Irish football.

“He went to the Euros, he was a great captain for Michael O’Neill throughout his time and provided so much for the young players coming through and he has been an inspiration and for someone I have worked with – he is arguably the best player I worked with on the training pitch.

“Never caused a minute’s problem, easy maintenance, easy to manage but a super, super talented boy.”

Philippe Clement is happy to have a selection headache after Rangers closed the gap on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a commanding 3-0 win over Hibernian.

Defender Ridvan Yilmaz and midfielder Todd Cantwell gave the visitors a two-goal interval lead at Easter Road with substitute Cyriel Dessers adding a third in the second half to leave the Light Blues five points behind their Old Firm rivals with one game in hand.

Keeper Jack Butland chipped in with some crucial saves but Clement spoke in glowing terms about his whole squad.

“It is about everybody,” said the Rangers boss, who reiterated his earlier statement that Abdallah Sima would be out for “between two and three months” after having an operation on his thigh.

“To be honest, after a game like this, I don’t even remember who scored the goals because for me it is not important who scores.

“It’s scoring as a team and it is the same with Jack. He makes the saves because the other guys will get red cards if they make saves with their hands.

“But, for example, John (Souttar) also made a really good save with his chest. It’s a team effort. That’s what we wanted to create a few months ago. To see a team all the time on the pitch and the guys are doing that now.

“I hope also after several victories they keep on understanding where it is coming from. It is not falling out of the sky.

“It is about a lot of effort, a lot of solidarity and not having too big an ego to play for yourself.

“So I am going to be really strict on that and to look at the team and making team decisions.

“I told them after training yesterday [Tuesday] they give me quite a headache for the moment to pick a starting 11.

“But it is a good thing. I hope they give me a lot of headaches the next couple of months.”

Before the game Clement revealed the extent of Sima’s injury.

The 22-year-old Senegal international, who has scored 15 goals since arriving on loan from Brighton in the summer, was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations after picking up the injury in training.

Clement told Rangers’ official website: “Abdallah had his operation and the surgeon was really happy with the way it went.

“It was a good operation, everything went well and he will be out for between two and three months.

“He is positive, he is someone who is always working hard and we expect him to be back as fast as possible in a healthy way and we can count on him at the end of the season.”

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery was left ruing some missed opportunities.

He said: “Myziane (Maolida) has a chance from six yards and it’s a top save from the goalkeeper.

“Those are the moments that change games. If that goes in it’s 2-1 the crowd lifts and I’m pretty sure we could have got back into the game. We would have been right in the ascendency.

“If you don’t take your chances you are going to start chasing the game and you can’t do that against a team like Rangers.”

Rangers closed the gap on cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with an impressive 3-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.

Defender Ridvan Yilmaz hammered in the opener for the Light Blues on the half-hour mark before midfielder Todd Cantwell arrowed in an unstoppable shot seconds before the break.

The quality of the goals was at odds with the error-strewn first 45 minutes and striker Cyriel Dessers added a third in the 74th minute soon after climbing off the bench to take his tally for the season to 11.

Hibs spurned some chances but ultimately Philippe Clement’s side moved five points behind their Old Firm rivals with one game in hand.

The home side went into the game looking for their first league win in four games and new boy Myziane Maolida, who joined on loan from Hertha Berlin last week, made his debut with fellow new signings Luke Amos and Emiliano Marcondes on the bench.

Nick Montgomery made five changes in total with Kanayo Megwa, Dylan Vente, Dylan Levitt and Jordan Obita also coming in.

The visitors had to contend with the absence of suspended centre-back Connor Goldson, his place taken by John Souttar with number one goalkeeper Jack Butland taking over from Robby McCrorie and a first competitive start for new loan signing Fabio Silva, in for Dessers.

As the smoke still cleared from the pyros displayed by the Gers fans, Hibs attacker Elie Youan’s angled-drive from a Levitt pass was blocked by the legs of Butland at his near post for a corner which came to nothing.

Gers winger Rabbi Matondo just failed to get on to the end of a Yilmaz corner which had been flicked on to the back post.

The game drifted through the first half but burst into life when Gers midfielder John Lundstram picked out Yilmaz with a chipped pass and the Turkish left-back lashed a shot high past keeper David Marshall from 12 yards for his first league goal for Rangers.

Hibs had chances to level. Butland saved again at his near post, this time from Jair Tavares and then Youan headed a Joe Newell free-kick inches wide before testing Butland with a drive from the edge of the box which was tipped over for another fruitless corner.

Hibs were well in the game but their task became more difficult when Cantwell, who had been quiet, took a pass from winger Ross McCausland and thundered a drive from the edge of the box past the diving Marshall for his third goal in five matches.

The former Norwich player and Nico Raskin stayed in at the break, replaced by Tom Lawrence and Dujon Sterling but Rangers started the second half in a strong position.

However, in the 52nd minute Maolida should have reduced the deficit from 14 yards after Youan had set him up with a cut-back but his drive was saved by Butland.

Marcondes, who joined Hibs from Bournemouth on Monday, replaced Maolida to make his debut with Jimmy Jeggo on for Newell.

Before long midfielder Luke Amos, signed earlier in the day on an 18-month contract after leaving QPR at the end of last season, also came on to make his debut.

However, it was Gers substitute Dessers, just on for Silva, who trundled the ball over the line from 10 yards despite the efforts of defender Will Fish to clear, and there was time for Lawrence to stab the ball into the net from a Jack cross before being ruled offside.

Philippe Clement confirmed Abdallah Sima is set to be sidelined “long term” as the Rangers manager waits on the final prognosis of the striker’s injury.

The 22-year-old Senegal international, who has scored 15 goals since arriving on loan from Brighton in the summer, was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations with a thigh problem.

The Senegal FA confirmed Sima picked up the injury in training and a statement warned he could face a “long period of unavailability.”

Clement was asked if had any further update on Sima at his media conference ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership trip to Hibernian, where Rangers will look to use one of their two games in hand on Celtic to cut the eight-point gap to the leaders.

“No, not yet and it is not that I want to keep things away from you,” said Clement.

“I expect to have more news today, tomorrow at the latest, from my medical staff and I always listen to them and not other people.

“So ask me this question after the game and then I will have the information.”

Asked if there was any indication if it would be a short-term or long-term absence, Clement replied: “It will be long term. That is also why I want to have the right information.

“Like I always say, I want to look at the glass half-full, I don’t want pity or disappointment.

“The team and squad has proven they always stand up when something happens and other players do the job and there have been really positive surprises that way so we are going to look for solutions and other surprises.”

Clement, meanwhile, refused to confirm reports that midfielder Mohamed Diomande will be arriving from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland.

So far in the winter transfer window only Fabio Silva has joined the Ibrox club, the Portuguese attacker coming on loan from Wolves.

While Clement expects to add further to his squad, he was tight-lipped about 22-year-old Diomande.

He said: “I don’t speak about many rumours because there has been how many, 50 names in the last couple of weeks?

“If you start to talk about one rumour you need to talk about the other rumours and then I am only busy about that and not making training any more or looking at players or talking to my own players, so I never do that.”

Clement also revealed that 20-year midfielder Alex Lowry will go back out on loan after returning from a temporary spell at Hearts which was cut short.

He said: “The plan is we want him to go on loan again to get minutes and come back in a good way. We will see what teams are interested and what is best for him.”

Robby McCrorie got his first Rangers start of the season against Dumbarton on Saturday and admits he wants more action.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper has played second fiddle to Jack Butland this season but was given his chance by Philippe Clement in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at a wet and wild Dumbarton stadium.

McCrorie, whose last start before this weekend was away to St Mirren in May 2023, made a good save in the first half from Michael Ruth but in the end the cinch Premiership side ran out easy 4-1 winners.

Goals from John Lundstram, Cyriel Dessers, skipper James Tavernier – from the spot – and substitute Scott Wright rendered Matthew Shiels’ goal a consolation for Stevie Farrell’s League Two side.

McCrorie, who has had loan spells at Berwick Rangers, Morton, Queen of the South and Livingston, told Rangers’ YouTube channel: “It feels like a long time. Obviously I want to be playing a lot more than I am.

“I just like the feeling that you’ve contributed, being a part of it, just playing 90 minutes.

“It’s just something I always want to do. I think everybody is the same, that’s all you want to do in football, play games so I just make sure I’m ready for whenever I’m called upon.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t enjoy not playing.

“I do want to be playing every week but you can’t go in a huff, you do need to be ready all the time.

“So I take a lot of pride in working hard every day, giving everything in training because I think when you do that and you come into games, you’re more comfortable and you’re ready for it.”

Rangers return to cinch Premiership duty against Hibernian at Easter Road on Wednesday night.

The Light Blues, who had a January training camp in Spain, are eight points behind league leaders Celtic but have two games in hand.

McCrorie said: “The last couple of weeks we’ve got in a lot of training but it is to set us up for the next few months.

“It will be relentless, it will be non-stop, there will be games every three days again and there is a lot to look forward to.”

Hearts have decided to terminate the season-long loan deal of Rangers midfielder Alex Lowry.

The 20-year-old moved to Tynecastle at the start of August in search of more regular game time but he struggled to nail down a starting berth in Steven Naismith’s team.

Lowry made 17 appearances in total for the Jambos but only 12 as a starter. His best moment in a maroon jersey came in late September when he scored a late winner away to Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup.

The Ibrox academy graduate, who has been troubled by a back issue recently, started only two of Hearts’ last eight matches before the winter break.

The Tynecastle club were unable to guarantee him the game time he needs to accelerate his development and have taken the decision to send him back to Ibrox prematurely.

“We took the decision to end the loan with Alex’s best interests in mind,” Naismith told Hearts’ website on Friday evening.

“There is absolutely no doubting Alex’s talents as a player and he’s shown in periods what he’s capable of doing on the pitch.

“But with the competition for places fierce in our squad, he’s probably not going to get the game time that would allow him to develop further, which is one of the reasons he was here in the first place.

“I’ve no doubt he’ll go on to become a top player. He’s a great boy, we thank him for all his efforts at Hearts and wish him well for the future.”

Rangers are now likely to look for another club for Lowry to join for the remainder of the campaign.

The midfielder made a big impact when he burst into the Rangers first team under Giovanni Van Bronckhorst two years ago and he was rewarded in May 2022 with a new contract until the summer of 2025, but so far he has failed to kick on the way the Ibrox club hoped.

Philippe Clement insists he will not be left short in the left-back position for the season’s run-in amid speculation about Ridvan Yilmaz’s future.

Reports claim the Ibrox club rejected a loan-to-buy offer in the region of €4m (£3.4million) from Galatasaray for the 22-year-old Turkey international, who has also been linked with Hellas Verona.

The Light Blues’ other left-back, fit-again Borna Barisic, is out of contract at the end of the season.

Speaking after the 2-2 friendly draw with FC Copenhagen at Ibrox – where goals from Rabbi Matondo and Cyriel Dessers was cancelled by a Kevin Diks header and a Johnly Yfeko own goal – the Rangers boss addressed the speculation about Yilmaz.

Clement also revealed that the injury midfielder Kieran Dowell picked up in the club’s January training camp in Spain is set to keep him out for two months.

Clement said: “For every player at Rangers, if there comes an offer that cannot be refused or is a good thing for the club then we need to discuss it.

“At the moment that is not the case. Ridvan is here and he started the game.

“We will see. Players also need to show they really want to be here in the next couple of months.

“We need to be prepared for everything, for every position also and make sure that we have solutions.

“That is one position that we have two players. One is end of contract, the other one there is a lot of rumours around.

“So it is clear that we need to be ready for that position. We cannot go on in three competitions with one left full-back. That is correct. And in other positions it is the same.”

Clement was pleased to see Ryan Jack, Tom Lawrence and Barisic get some game time in the second half against the Danish side after recovering from their respective injuries but Dowell is a concern.

The midfielder has made just 11 appearances for the Light Blues since joining on a free transfer from Norwich this summer.

Ahead of the Scottish Cup tie against Dumbarton on Saturday, Clement said: “Kieran Dowell was not here because he got injured in La Manga.

“He will be out for several weeks, I think around two months.

“That’s long term and that’s a big blow.”

Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton believes Josh Doig would be an ideal solution to the Ibrox club’s impending decisions at left-back.

Borna Barisic is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a return to Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.

Ridvan Yilmaz has struggled for game time since arriving in the summer of 2022 but has impressed in recent weeks amid the absence of the injured Barisic.

However, the Turkey international has been linked with a switch to Hellas Verona, where Doig has plied his trade since moving from Hibernian to Italy.

Doig is also the subject of reported interest from Torino and Udinese and Hutton believes the 21-year-old would be a good fit at Ibrox.

“I thought that he was a player that both teams in Glasgow would have looked at before he left,” the former Scotland international said.

“He had all the attributes to be a modern-day full-back – physically strong, can get up and down the pitch, an attacking full-back and that’s how Rangers like to play.

“He would come back a better player having played in Italy and you’d think defensively, he would be learning week in, week out. I think he would do a really good job.

“It looks like Barisic will be out of contract at the end of the season. Yilmaz was looking like the guy who was going to take over from him but he has been a little bit in and out. But he has had some really good performances the last few games.

“It was interesting to watch him against Kilmarnock. He played a little more inside the pitch. He has come on to a game and if he was to go, they have to bring someone in.”

Hutton believes up front is the key transfer priority for Philippe Clement with Cyriel Dessers struggling to win over the Rangers fans and Danilo and Kemar Roofe missing much of the campaign so far through injury.

Sam Lammers is another attacking summer signing who has struggled to make an impact and he has been linked with a move to Utrecht.

Hutton, who was promoting the upcoming Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round fixtures, which see Rangers travel to Dumbarton, has been encouraged by manager Clement’s impact, having only lost to Celtic since replacing Michael Beale.

“You can’t not be impressed,” he said. “Winning the League Cup and getting into the last 16 of the Europa League by winning that group was massive for them.

“But just in general, their play has changed under the new manager. The only blip was against Celtic.

“Rangers are closing the gap in my opinion. It’s not as big as it was in previous seasons. It’s close now, it’s small margins between them – as we saw in the Old Firm game.

“The small margins are in the forward line, that’s the difference between the two teams. You see the likes of Kyogo (Furuhashi). He is a big-time player, he gets those opportunities and puts them in the back of the bet more often than not.

“If Rangers can get someone in who can do that, as well as what they have, I think they will be in a good place.”

:: Hutton was speaking at a press event organised by Scottish Gas, proud partners of the men’s and women’s Scottish Cups.

The Scottish Football Association has hit back at Rangers as the row over a non-penalty incident at Celtic Park continues.

Celtic defender Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside the area in the first half of the cinch Premiership clash at Parkhead on December 30 while under pressure from Gers forward Abdallah Sima.

Referee Nick Walsh pointed for a goal kick and the decision was confirmed by VAR official Willie Collum following a check.

It later emerged through Sky Sports – broadcasting the match live – that there had been an offside in the build-up and Rangers claimed that was never mentioned during the VAR analysis.

The Ibrox club called on the SFA to release the audio of the incident and following a meeting with the governing body on Wednesday, Rangers said there was “an overriding consensus the VAR decision of no handball was incorrect”.

The Govan club also added they were “deeply concerned” by the speed of the decision and there were reports that the club had requested that Collum not be involved in Rangers games going forward.

However, in a lengthy statement the SFA said: “The Scottish FA is disappointed by contents of the most recent statement issued by Rangers.

“Chief executive James Bisgrove and director of football operations Creag Robertson attended a private briefing with the head of referee operations, Crawford Allan, to review the incident in question, including the use of matchday audio.

“We understood from the chief executive that the meeting had been constructive and informative, and conducted amicably. This does not appear to be reflected in the club’s statement.

“During the meeting, it was pointed out that the incident in question was a subjective handball and that the VAR did not deem it a sufficiently clear and obvious error to refer to on-field review.

“Furthermore, the offside would not have been mentioned at the time as it was not part of the VAR’s decision-making on the handball.

“It was highlighted within Clydesdale House that had the VAR considered the incident to be a handball offence and asked the referee to carry out an on-field review, the attacking phase of play would have been checked and an offside would have been identified.

“This supplementary information was relayed to broadcasters in-game, and we are reviewing the process of information dissemination to avoid any perceived ambiguity in future.

“There was an overall consensus that the incident could not have led to a penalty kick being awarded in any event, and that there was no impact on the final outcome of the match.”

The statement continued: “Since the summer, we have ensured that key match incidents [KMI] are reviewed and shared with all clubs after every full round of Premiership fixtures, including use of audio.

“We will continue to do this, along with KMI being shared with the independent review panel for their consideration and opinion.

“Finally, we note posts from a recent official media partner of the club’s detailing requests from the private meeting that were immediately rejected.

“We would ask that club representatives show greater responsibility in such matters, especially in the context of recent incidents in European football that have compromised the safety of match officials and led to widespread condemnation.”

The latter comments comes after former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca was recently given a permanent suspension for punching referee Halil Umut Meler after his side’s draw with Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Philippe Clement is “still curious” about the potential of Rangers after they went into the winter break with a bounce-back 3-1 win over Kilmarnock and still on the heels of Celtic.

The Belgian had lost his first game as Gers boss since taking over in October in the narrow 2-1 Old Firm defeat at Parkhead on Saturday but late first-half goals from wide-men Ross McCausland and Abdallah Sima at Ibrox on Tuesday had the Light Blues in control at the break.

Danny Armstrong reduced the deficit in the 58th minute with a penalty awarded after VAR intervention but Todd Cantwell soon restored the two-goal cushion to keep them eight points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with two games in hand.

The Gers players will enjoy a few days off before going to Spain for a training camp next week.

Clement has already brought the Viaplay Cup back to Ibrox and guided the club into the last 16 of the Europa League and was asked about the potential of his squad.

He said: “I am still curious. I am happy that you speak now about the potential of this team.

“Eleven weeks ago, I heard a lot of people saying there was not potential enough in this team to do what Rangers needs to do.

“So it is positive that so many players are  growing, and that is what I want to see. I will keep a close eye, together with my staff, on who are the players staying ambitious, who are the players who are pushing. There are a lot of good examples in that way.

“You have a young lad (Ross McCausland)  who was just in the academy and now he is playing really regular in the first team because he is performing.

“Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, who are now playing in other positions. They have done that for the team, or else they wouldn’t play.

“So, I think this team is in a really good way. The dressing room also.

“The atmosphere every day within the building, with the training, the ambition in the training.

“After our first defeat, which we knew would come one day, the reaction was how I wanted it. We looked at what we had to do to make good, to analyse what went wrong, what we could do better.

“I’m happy that everybody is saying they see a different team now with more of a winning mentality.

“I see more and more quality and that the team understands better and better how I want to see football, how I want to see them run together, how I want them to create spaces for other players. It becomes more and more fluid.

“If the players keep on working, stay attentive, stay concentrated then after a while it becomes more natural for them.

“So there are really positive things. It’s not about being satisfied. It’s about being ambitious to get better.”