Derek McInnes believes Thelo Aasgaard has 'huge potential' as he discussed the Norwegian playmaker for the first time.
Aasgaard, 24, returned early following his post- World Cup break after spending the summer in the USA with Norway and was bright from the bench in a 2-1 win over St Etienne last night, scoring the winning penalty in McInnes' Ibrox bow.
After a £5million move from Luton last summer, the midfielder struggled to impress consistently.
While capable of impressive moments, Aasgaard often failed to stamp authority on games. However, there is hope internally at Ibrox that with that experience of a season in Glasgow under his belt, Aasgaard can kick on under McInnes' tutelage.
McInnes said, "I think I can [get more out of him], but also Thelo has got to get that from himself as well. He’s so smooth and he looks every part a footballer, the size, the technique, the speed. We just need to try and get him at his best week in, week out."
Adding that there was too big a gap between performance levels from too many individuals last season, he added: "We need to try and get Thelo and others a wee bit more consistent, but sometimes, being young players and with the size of the club and the demand, you’ve got to work through that.
"That was the thing that disappointed me in the first half, that we were really quiet as a team and just kind of feeling sorry for ourselves walking in at half-time, and that’s not going to get the job done. We need to make sure that we galvanise each other. Football is not always sunshine and rainbows."
Cammy Devlin's introduction from the bench offered Rangers more stature in the midfield, while Ivor Pandur and Lawrence Shankland were also bright on their debuts, with Aasgaard joining the game around the hour mark, after Shankland had scored early and St Etienne had equalised.
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There is hope - as Andrew Cavenagh explained at the end of last season - that a refreshed leadership group and stronger spine can give the likes of Aasgaard the platform to show his level consistently.
"Players like Thelo and others need to fight through that and show their capabilities. Sometimes, in a technical game, these games are a bit easier to show, and other times, when you’re not getting it all your own way, you’re going to have to dig deep. Thelo, without question, has got huge potential and it’s up to us and him to get it out of him."
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