Rangers have made their first signing of the January transfer window with Portuguese defender Rafael Fernandes arriving on loan from Lille – with the Ibrox side holding an option to buy.

Philippe Clement has seen the heart of his rearguard decimated by injuries and the Ibrox boss desperately needed to bolster that area. And Clement and recruitment chief Nils Koppen have moved to address that for the second half of the season with the loan signing of the 22-year-old former Portugal Under-20 international.

The Ligue 1 side have made the stopper available after failing to make an impression after joining the club in a £2.5 million deal from Portuguese side Arouca 12 months ago.

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New CEO Patrick Stewart admitted there wouldn’t be huge transfer activity this month but Fernandes is the first in the door and he told the club website: “I am very happy to be here, it was a club I wanted to come to since I heard about the interest, and I am really happy to finally be here.

"My first impressions have been really good, I met some of my colleagues, some of the staff and all of them made me feel comfortable to start this new challenge."

Boss Clement added: “I am really pleased to welcome Rafael to the squad. He is a young defender who brings with him an asset for our team for the remainder of the season. He has a lot of potential, and I am looking forward to working with him."