Beale on Sterling's Rangers links and Morelos' chances - Full Q+A

Are there any injury updates? 

Ben Davies misses out and Ryan Jack comes back into the squad. I’m delighted that he’s been back in training for the last couple of days. 

Will Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos feature across the rest of the season? 

Ryan has not returned to training. He had a slight issue last week in training so we’ve kept him out. Alfredo will be in the squad and available for selection. 

How has Alfredo been after your comments post-match against Aberdeen? 

I spoke to him before I made those comments. I was asked a question and I didn’t think it was his best performance in terms of energy. I’ve not had to say too much to working with him and our relationship is upfront and honest. There’s no issue between me and him. It’s the same with any player, if I think their energy needs to be better then I’ll say that - they respect that because it’s two-way. 

There’s been links to Dujon Sterling, can you provide any information on that? 

There's a lot of speculation and names, lots of good players which is nice that they're being linked with us but until anything's concrete we don't want to talk about any individual players. Out of respect for their clubs and the players as well. 

You coached him at Chelsea? 

Yeah but not since 07/08 since I saw him. He's a good player but I don't want to say much more than that.

How has Morelos reacted in training this week? 

Alfredo is robust, I feel he could have made a more positive impact last week but we are fine - no drama and he has been great in training this week. He is keen to keep showcasing what he can and it’s important that he finishes his time at Rangers well. 

Have you had decisive talks with players over their futures? 

Yeah, each one was different. I know these players well, each individual situation is different but everyone took it in the right way. There are some players in contract, who could have futures elsewhere but all those conversations will remain private. The way we speak is open and honest with all the players.

Could some players who’ve been told their futures lie elsewhere have their minds elsewhere? 

I don’t think so. This game focuses attention because you live in a city where this game is important to everybody. Every single person in this city has say, feeling or allegiance to one of these two teams. 

What would a win mean tomorrow? 

Like every win in this fixture - it would mean a lot. We can’t focus on the past, I think we’ve done well in the last two fixtures but things have gone against us. Celtic are a very good team and we’ve shot ourselves in the foot in key moments at both ends of the pitch. Tomorrow the team will look different to the last two games and it’s an opportunity for players to do well. 

Different in terms of personnel or tactically? 

Different in terms of personnel because tactically we are very similar. 

Will Robby McCrorie start? And do you have a lot of trust in him? 

Robby will play. I’ve got faith in him. He wasn’t available for the majority of time I’ve been here and he’s got a chance in training and B team games. It’s now time to give Robby a run of games to showcase what he has. I thought it was a really good showing against Aberdeen, it was the first time he’d started a game in a while and he was excellent. He’s played this fixture before so he has the experience and I’ve full faith in him. 

Any update on Ryan Jack's contract extension? 

There’s no news on that. I’ve stated publicly that I want Ryan to stay and that will give you a steer of where that will end up.

Does the game take on added significance because you’ve not won against Celtic this season? 

Yeah. This season has been a disappointment but I want to just focus on this game. There are four games to go and we want to end the season well. Our league form has been fantastic, in general, and our home form has been particularly strong. It’s been where it needs to be if you want to challenge over the full season. It doesn't matter when this game is played, eyes are always on it and it’s an opportunity to do well. 

What can a win to provide a boost heading into the summer? 

It will underline some of the progress that’s been made that is maybe overlooked. That’s fine, we can see inside where we are going and I’ve been pleased in the main but we’ve had a couple of sore days. I can’t fault the attitude of the players, but it’s important we can show that we can beat teams of a similar level or a higher level than us. That’s the challenge in the next four or five months - to prove that we can have the big moments in balance games. In European games, when their squad’s worth more than our team can stand up. They’ve upset the odds in the past and they need to start doing that again. 

How important is it that new signings hit the ground running? 

We will have a foundation of players from this season who have done well. We are not going to start with a completely new eleven and we want to get our recruitment done early. We return to training on the 30th of June and I expect to see some new faces - either before that or the first two weeks of pre-season. Pre-season and the run up to the Champions League qualifier will be important and it’s an exciting time. A lot of that work and planning is going on in the background and that’s been a big part of my thinking since November. We want to build a stronger Rangers next season. 

Where are you in terms of getting someone to help you with recruitment?

I have John Park and the whole recruitment team, so I’ve more than enough help. On the executive board, I’ve got people who do the business. It’s on me to meet the players and cutting videos, recommending players and setting up meetings is on John and his team. We lost one member of staff, not the whole operation.

In terms of players going out, how many of the current squad do you not envisage being here next season? 

The club will officially make a statement on that at the right time. There’s four games to go and I don’t really want to get into that. That would be unfair to those players and their families but we are not far away from announcing that in one big batch. 

Have you had calls from other managers about players who could be going out?

Yeah, I’ve had a lot of phone calls. Calls about recommendations and one or two of our players in contract as well. That’s natural at this time of the season and those calls come to me now and before they went elsewhere. 

Pleased to see James Tavernier and Malik Tillman voted in the PFA team of the season? 

It’s a tough life for Tav at times, but a really privileged life as captain at Rangers. In the big moments this year - against Motherwell and at Parkhead - he’s stepped up and made some big plays. I’m glad that it hasn’t gone unnoticed because this is about how the individual does and not the collective. Malik coming into the league as a 20-year-old has provided some big moments and in my opinion, he’s been the outstanding young player in the league.