Philippe Clement popped Rangers champagne before putting a cork in it as he looks for desire in players' eyes

The party’s over but for Philippe Clement it’s only just beginning.

The Rangers manager let his players off the leash on Sunday night as they celebrated their Viaplay Cup Final triumph with their nearest and dearest at Edmiston House. And, yes, this tall, quiet and intense man joined in the fun and games. But yesterday, as he gathered his squad around him to begin preparations for St Johnstone’s visit to Ibrox tomorrow night, Clement looked into the bleary eyes of the players who had delivered a trophy just 64 days into his tenure.

He didn’t want to see a look of satisfaction, a self-congratulatory glint. What the Belgian was looking for was a hunger, a flash of determination that told him his players are not prepared to settle for just one trophy. A run of 14 unbeaten games in all competitions since his arrival in October has now seen a piece of silverware that has been missing from Ibrox for 12 years returned to Govan. A place in the last 16 of the Europa League has been secured with a win away to Real Betis.

And in the league, Clement arrived to find Rangers seven points behind Celtic after only eight games. If St Johnstone are put to the sword, the gap will be down to two with his team having a game in hand over their rivals.

In anybody’s language, that’s all worthy of a pat on the back. But having administered a few of those to his players on Sunday night, it was back to business yesterday as the manager consigned their Hampden heroics to the history books.

He said: “I am really happy for the players and, of course, I had a drink with them in the evening and with my family also. But in the back of my mind it is Wednesday already. That is who I am.

“I enjoyed the evening because I did not do that enough during my