6 unsolved Rangers issues for Beale as Cantwell, Barisic and Lundstram come on to boss’ to-do list

Pre-season is now complete, eight new signings – likely nine by the time of kick-off at Rugby Park on Saturday – are in the door and for Rangers and Michael Beale it’s all about the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season opener against Kilmarnock.

Beale will put his players through their paces in front of punters at an open training session at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday and after that the shutters will come down and there will be three days to ensure Rangers are ready to go when they make that tricky trip down the M77 to face Derek McInnes, who has rarely made life easy for his old club during his time as a boss, and his Ayrshire outfit.

Rangers had to come from two goals down against Hoffenheim on Saturday to avoid a third pre-season friendly defeat with their record since returning from a training camp in Germany reading W1 D1 L2. Beale has been happy with the transfer work done by the club so far with Danilo signed and on the plane to Germany to make his debut from the bench against Hoffenheim, the Brazilian having a hand in the equaliser in the 2-2 draw. But other issues weren’t so pleasing and Record Sport takes a look at what might be going through his head.

This is probably the biggest issue when it comes to team selection. Rangers fans have lost patience with Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz showed when coming off the bench against Newcastle United that he looked like he would offer so much more. But then the former Besiktas man – signed last summer for a fee that could rise to in excess of £5 million π flopped when given his chance in the starting XI against Hoffenheim. He was weak in the tackle at the Bundesliga side’s opening goal and allowed the cross to get in far too easily for the second. It leaves Beale with