Philippe Clement insists Rangers are heading to the Theatre of Dreams determined to put on a show.

The Light Blues will face off against Ruben Amorim’s ropey Red Devils in Thursday’s glamour Europa League tie at Old Trafford. The Portuguese gaffer wasn’t mincing his words on Sunday when he admitted his side were the “worst team in Manchester United history” after losing their 10th Premier League game of the season already with a 3-1 reverse at home to Brighton.

But victory for Clement’s side would still represent a major achievement for a club who have won only once on English soil. It’s 33 years since that famous result over Leeds and Gers’ Belgian boss is gunning for a repeat raid south of the border. Gers go into the game with a place in the knock-out stages already secured having taken 11 points from their first six games.

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But victory would boost their hopes of by-passing February’s knock-out stages and sneaking into the March draw for the last 16. Asked if this was a free hit at United, Clement wasn’t having it.

He said: “I want pressure, to be very clear. I want pressure. I want pressure on the team. I want my team to be ambitious. And if we are somewhere, that we have higher ambitions to make it better. So, that's what we're going to do.

“The team has worked really hard to be in a good position in this Europa League. They did really well in this Europa League. We know what Manchester United are. We know their level. But we're going to go there to fight and to show ourselves and to do something really special. That's our ambition, to go there and to do something special.”

United have a history of success based on rearing their own. From the Busby Babes to the Class of 92, it was homegrown talent who helped built the club’s legacy. Rangers haven’t quite had the same success producing youngsters lately but that’s something Clement is keen to change.

Teenagers Mason Munn and Findlay Curtis were handed debuts in Sunday's Scottish Cup skelping of Fraserburgh while Zak Lovelace was back in the side for the first time since September 2023. Former AC Millan trainee Clinton Nsiala continues to impress as he bagged his first ever professional goal as the Highland League minnows while Bailey Rice was also introduced off the bench.

Clement said: “I saw two really good passes from Findlay. Indeed, he's one of the guys who's developing really well the last couple of months, who trained also a lot of times with us.

"But there are others also, so it's difficult for me to point out one. Zak is coming back out of a long injury. Bailey Rice is doing really good things in training.

“That's why I wanted to give him also minutes. But there are also guys like Paul Nsio, who's not in the squad today, who's making a good evolution.

“So, it's about all of them to keep on working hard, to be hungry, to have the desire to become better, and then to push the others and to make next steps, like Clinton, for example, is doing now and challenging for positions with other players. So, that's what we need.

“And that's also what this club needs, to develop young players who can play at the best level, and that's winning every game. So, there is the big gap to make between academy and playing first in football here, because it's not only first in football. It's about the demand of every game to win it also. So, it's also a mentality thing. It's a character thing.”

But Clement insists the club’s decision this week to scrap it’s B team is not the same thing as throwing the next generation on the scrapheap. Ibrox chiefs have decided to do without a second string from next season - with the club’s best young talent instead set to be sent out on loan.

Asked what the plan is for the club’s kids, Clement said: “That they will keep on playing games, like they've been doing the last couple of months also. Playing games, training with us, and guys who deserve the chance to be with the first team. And with other players, there have been several players who have gone on loan to get more playing time, like Cole McKinnon, who was already several years in the first team squad or around, like Robbie Fraser also, that they can get every week, the minutes.

"The guys who are still here are more the guys who need this experience with sometimes playing, in parts playing, and training also more with the first team. So, it's a little bit in between.”

Clement insists Gers would prefer to keep their top talent in house - but admits that’s been made impossible because of Scottish football’s on-going opposition to allowing the likes of Rangers and Celtic to field their B Teams in the SPFL. Clement continued: “The ideal situation is that, like in a lot of countries, we spoke about that, Holland, Belgium, Spain, they have their second team playing in the second league or third league.

“That should be much better for Scottish football, if that could happen. Other thing that was for me surprising yesterday when I heard that, for the Scottish Cup, there's one spot less on the bench than last season. So, otherwise, I would have had one young player more on the bench.

“So, I don't know why this rule has changed. I don't think it benefits the young players in Scottish football. Also something to think about.

“But it's a better situation if you can let them play every week and you have total control of the story with your own coach, manager there, your own team, performance team for all the physical work and everything. So, that's the ideal situation. But it's not possible here. So, we need to find another solution. Then it becomes more of an individual story.”

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