RANGERS forward Scott Wright spoke to the Rangers Review and other media outlets following the club's open training session at Ibrox.

Here is everything he had to say.

Do you feel your Scottish Cup final goal has catapulted you into this season?

Yeah, it was a great end to the season for me personally. I had my spell out of the team and managed to fight my way back in and featured in a few games. The Europa League final was a massive moment for me. It was just so disappointing for us, as a team, to fall short but to dust ourselves off and go and win the Scottish Cup in the fashion we did, going to extra time again and looking strong, I thought what we deserved as a team.

The manager has a lot of faith in you. What does that do for your confidence knowing the manager has that trust in you?

It’s great. It’s something I think you look for as a player and always searching for. If you get that belief and trust from the manager, all you can do is repay him and whenever I get that chance and opportunity, I’ll fight for him on the pitch 110%. When he first comes in it’s a case of showing him what you can do and trying to earn his trust from him. Once you think you’ve got that it’s just a case of going out and showing him what you can do on the pitch.

Heading into next week’s Champions League qualifier, has the results in Europe over the last four years transmitted itself onto the team?

In a way. We class ourselves as a strong team and I class ourselves as a good European team. I think we showed that over the last few years. It’s so different playing in the European games. Playing away from home you’re setting up differently with different tactics, different formations and players. I think we need to go into the game feeling confident, which we are and try to play the best game we can and see how we do.

There are seven new signings this summer, does it feel like a new sense of energy with a freshness in the squad?

Yeah, I would say so. We’ve signed a few boys now and they’re bringing that energy and freshness to the squad which is great. It’s always what you need. We’ve done fantastically keeping the core squad together already in terms of Allan McGregor signing on, Steven Davis and Scotty Arfield. I think they’re so important in the changing room in terms of experience for the boys coming through. With the manager, it was difficult with him coming in mid-season to try to get his hands on the team how he really wants it because we had a game every two or three days. Us trying to train as a team was nigh on impossible because boys were doing recovery or some were playing. This pre-season, we’ve had a right run at it together and I think you can see from the pre-season games we look like a strong team unit and we’re trying to portray the ideas he’s trying to put across in training and coming across in games.

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Can you give us an insight into the manager’s man-management and how he keeps everyone onside?

I can only speak from my personal experience. I was in the team and then had my wee spell out the team, which I’ve said before I think was important. It can go one of two ways, you can feel sorry for yourself and then that’s it your time’s up almost but it’s a case of knuckling down and showing the manager and his staff that I want to be here and I want to be counted as a player. I feel like I can add something to the team. The manager was important for me during that spell as well as his staff. Pulling me aside at training or games you were left out and saying there is a place here if you want it and if you fight hard for it you’ll be able to get your hands on it. It’s a case of being patient and having that belief in yourself and confidence that you feel you can add to the team and making sure you stick with it.

Is there a part of you that wishes you were playing for Scotland this summer?

Absolutely. Obviously, it’s disappointing you finish the season strong. It’s what every player wants to do is to represent their nation. It’s an important step for me and one I want to take but I know that only comes if I’m playing well here so the most important thing for me just now is getting my face in the team and staying in the team. I think that’s important and then anything else will hopefully follow.

Has Steve Clarke spoken to you about what you need to do?

No, I haven’t heard anything from him.

Quality players like Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey have left, are you confident there’s a lot of quality with the players who’ve come in?

Yeah, I think there’s a lot of energy and freshness which is always important in the summer. Unfortunately, when you lose such big key players for us with them playing well, especially in the European run, there’s going to be interest in them. It’s a double-edged sword a wee bit. It’s always going to be good because players are playing well for the club but it means that some other clubs are going to be circling trying to take them in. We’ve recruited well and the boys have fitted into the team and it’s a case of going step by step and strength to strength.

Are you looking forward to the competition with Rabbi Matondo?

Yeah. It’s so important at a club like this that we’re going to have competition for places. Boys all over the pitch are going to be pushing each other. It suits the club as well because it means boys are going to be playing out their skin to try and stay in their position for the next week. It’s also so important for us because we play a game every two or three days so trying to keep boys fresh and the team fresh as well is so important.

Does the fact the squad have done well over two-legged European ties give you a lot of confidence for the Champions League qualifiers?

Yeah, we’re going to go into the games confident but it’s making sure we play the game and not the occasion and taking it game by game. It’s the old saying but it’s all we can do. Last season’s done, we can look back and take confidence from it but it’s all about looking forward now and seeing what we can achieve as a team.

Do you see the Champions League group stages as the next step of the journey for the team?

Yeah, definitely. It was a case of the boss trying to get his hands on the team and implement his ideas onto us. It’s definitely a stage we want to be performing at as a team. We can only take it game by game but it’s certainly somewhere we want to be as a team performing.

Do you feel that this is a Champions League team?

Yeah. We’ve got great depth in the squad. There are strong positions everywhere and it’s the sake of boys fighting for their spot and making sure they’re pushing each other every single day in training.

That’s why you want to be a footballer?

Absolutely. It’s what you want to do and that’s the level you want to be performing at. We’ve played some good teams over pre-season as well and played some great teams on the European run last year. It’s definitely a stage we want to test ourselves at and personally it’s a stage you want to test yourself at and it’s one you always look forward to.

How welcome news is it that VAR is to be introduced in the league this season?

Yeah, obviously it was a bit difficult sometimes with playing in the SPL games and then swapping over to the Europa League. Everything is so much more neat and tidier in terms of off the ball things as well because they pick up on that. I think it’s a welcome addition personally to try and iron out any problems there was in the game and I think it’ll help the referees as well for sure.

How much do you learn off Roy Makaay?

His pedigree is absolutely fantastic. He’s played at the top level so just to try and get a small insight into how he thinks and how he played, personally for me as an attacker, is fantastic. Roy will take most of the attackers after training and try and do little movements or even just little things to try to add to our game and how he thinks he can help us. I’ve tried to add that to my game as much as I can. He’s great to lean on as well off the pitch. He’s always there to speak to which I think is so important.

Now that Bassey has left, who is the quickest player in the squad?

I think I would’ve still given Calvin a good race to be fair! Rabbi’s came in and he looks really quick as well and we can’t forget about wee Fash, wee Fashion Sakala as well. The three of us will have a right good race at some point and we’ll fight out the winner.

With Rabbi coming in, do you guys work together to push each other on?

Absolutely. I think when you’re at a club like this, it’s so important we have competition in places and definitely the two of us will push each other all season. The most important thing I think is the club and that we’re winning games whether that’s me starting and Rabbi coming on or Rabbi starting and me coming on to see games out. It’s so important that the two of us are there to push each other. Both of us fighting for a spot is only going to be good for the club because hopefully it’s going to be the two of us performing at the top level. To push ourselves every day in training is to earn the right to play in the team and once you’ve got that right to play in the team it’s a sake of going out and expressing yourself and bringing that energy and talent to the squad.