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Mark Allen shares three attributes he and Gerrard want to see in Rangers signings

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Rangers brought 15 new signings to Ibrox this summer.

Barclays Premier Academy League, Manchester City U18 v Manchester United U18, Platt Lane, Manchester City academy coaches Mark Allen and Jason Wilcox (left) in conversation during the warm-...

Rangers director of football Mark Allen has told Rangers TV that he is looking for three key attributes when assessing whether he will sign a player for the club.

The Gers went through a huge overhaul over the summer, as 24 players let the club either permanently or on loan, including Josh Windass, Michael O’Halloran and Fabio Cardoso.

New manager Steven Gerrard embarked on a recruitment drive alongside Allen this summer, and ended up signing 15 players in a hugely productive summer for Rangers.

A goalkeeper, two full backs, four centre backs, three midfielders, three wingers and two strikers arrived at Ibrox, and Gerrard has managed to bed them all in admirably, losing just once competitively as Rangers manager whilst taking the club into the Europa League group stage.

Now, Allen has discussed the recruitment drive, telling Rangers TV that he was looking for three key attributes in potential targets; athleticism, power and the ability to deal with the pressure of the Ibrox crowd.

“I think I may have addressed this previously in terms of looking at certain profiles of players, in terms of their athleticism, their power and also that sort of vital ingredient – the ability to play at Ibrox, and you never really know until you put them out there, but you can do some sort of in-depth checking in terms of them as players and people to be able to equip yourself with that,” he added.

One of the big takeaways from the early stages of Gerrard’s reign is how much more fit and athletic Rangers look under Gerrard than predecessor Pedro Caixinha.

15th September 2018, Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland; Ladbrokes Premiership football, Rangers versus Dundee; Connor Goldson of Rangers during warm up

Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic and Joe Worrall add height, strength and even pace at the back, whilst Lassana Coulibaly’s ability to get up and down the pitch has been key in the middle of the park.

Ryan Kent and Eros Grezda bring pace out wide that was often lacking last season and even under Mark Warburton, whilst Kyle Lafferty gives Gerrard a focal point to aim for in attack.

Without trying to sound like Daft Punk, Rangers look harder, better, faster and stronger under Gerrard – and Allen’s comments suggest that fans can expect players with similar qualities to arrive in the near future.

Steven Gerrard head coach of Rangers looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League group G match between Villarreal CF and Rangers at Estadio de la Ceramica on September 20, 2018 in Vila-real,...