Rangers have rounded off their pre-season trip to Holland with a 2-1 defeat against Dutch giants Ajax. First half goals from Kian Fitz-Jim and Branco Van Den Boomen secured the win for Ajax. A Tom Lawrence free-kick was one of the positives for Philippe Clement to take.

The other major one was the return of Danilo. The Brazilian played the final 15 minutes as he marked his comeback from a seven-month absence after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury against Hearts. He was denied an equaliser in the closing stages.

Rangers will fly back to Glasgow on Sunday before continuing their pre-season schedule. Ajax, meanwhile, have European qualifiers next on their agenda. It was no surprise that the Eredivisie side were sharper as a result and were merited winners.

Butland blunders undermine Rangers

Had it not been for Jack Butland, Rangers could have been a couple of goals down before Ajax opened the scoring. A save to deny Chuba Akpom at the back post was top drawer. Unfortunately, the Englishman then made two costly mistakes as Fitz-Jim and Van Den Boomen scored either side of a well-struck free-kick from Lawrence. That was as good as the first half got for Rangers and an effort from Rabbi Matondo was their only other real chance.

Clement would have been frustrated at the manner of the first goal as his defence was caught out by a quick free-kick. Butland was protesting that he didn’t catch Kenneth Taylor when Fitz-Jim scored from a tight angle. With five minutes of the half remaining, a rare howler saw Van Den Boomen’s free-kick squirm under him at the left post.

Rangers should have been level when Scott Wright was sent through just after the hour mark. His strike wasn’t clinical enough, though, and a low effort was blocked by the keeper.

Jefte starts at left-back

This was the first time that many supporters will have seen Jefte in action. The Brazilian was a second half introduction in midweek. Given the low-key nature of that match, it was hard to read too much into his showing or determine what he will bring to the team.

There were a couple of occasions where he advanced down the left here. Nothing came of them as Rangers struggled to assert themselves in the final third. At the other end, he wasn’t tested that often and supporters will need to see more to really get a feel of his strengths and weaknesses.

The switches came at the hour mark on this occasion. Jefte was replaced by Ridvan Yilmaz as the entire back four was altered. The 21-year-old can be pleased with this outing and the week away with the squad will have allowed him to settle into the new group.

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Sterling gets the nod on the right

The status of captain James Tavernier has been a topic of much conjecture amongst supporters over the course of the summer. The fact that he sat out the meeting with Standard Liege on Wednesday and then didn’t take part in training on Friday has only raised the noise level. Tavernier was not named in the squad for the second fixture of the trip. Once again, he watched the match from the sidelines alongside Todd Cantwell. There was also no place for Oscar Cortes as Clement manages his minutes.

The absence of Tavernier saw Dujon Sterling start at right-back. That is the role that he was signed to fulfil last summer but rarely got the chance to do so as he became a utility man for Clement. Going forward, it is on the right side of the four he is expected to play.

This was a useful run-out for the Englishman. He was kept alert by Fitz-Jim on the flank and got forward on a couple of occasions. Like so many, the time on the pitch was the most important aspect of the afternoon.

Another central midfielder required

The sight of Nicolas Raskin hobbling off just minutes from the end of the first half was a real cause for concern. The Belgian looked in discomfort as he received treatment in the middle of the park and then headed down the tunnel and time will tell what the diagnosis is.

(Image: Shuttershock)

Clement can only hope that Raskin is not the first major doubt of the campaign. Raskin finished last season on a positive note and looked well placed to take that form into this term.

He started here alongside Mohamed Diomande and was replaced by Connor Barron. Those three will be the main operators in the central area going forward but Clement will need to strengthen in the coming weeks. A promotion for youngster Bailey Rice could also be an option once he returns to fitness. Cole McKinnon and Alex Lowry both got run-outs in Holland.

End of a tough week

Two down, three to go. The matches with Manchester United, Birmingham City and Union Berlin now stand between Rangers and the start of the season. Clement will expect to see levels rise with each one that is ticked off. His side are some way away from the finished article.

Given the scale of the work required this summer, that is no surprise. Clement needs players to leave and he needs players to come in. This week, he could only work with what he had.

A morning session on Wednesday was followed by the match with Liege. On Friday, Rangers trained twice as they were put through their paces before getting minutes under their belt in Wezep.

Clement again made a raft of changes as players were given the required action to get them up to speed. Ultimately, that is what matters most.