Rangers are on track to return to Ibrox by the end of next month after the final shipment of steel needed to complete delayed renovation works in the Copland Road Stand was delivered on schedule.

Chairman John Bennett outlined the ‘aspirational’ timescales in an interview with club media last month. And the Rangers Review understands that the target of completing the upgrades by the end of September is on course to be met following a key delivery on site.

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Philippe Clement’s side have played three matches at Hampden so far this term after a deal was struck for Rangers to temporarily relocate across Glasgow. A Premiership victory against Motherwell was followed by the 2-0 loss to Dynamo Kyiv as Clement’s side crashed out of the Champions League last week. On Saturday, Rangers saw off St Johnstone to progress to the last eight of the Premier Sports Cup.

That quarter-final fixture against Dundee will be played on the weekend of September 21/22. The following weekend, Rangers host Hibernian in a Premiership encounter. And that could be the homecoming outing for Clement’s side and the tens of thousands of season ticket holders that have been forced to head to Hampden in the opening stages of the campaign.

Rangers are back at the national stadium on Saturday for the visit of Ross County. A trip to face Celtic in the first Old Firm of the term comes next on September 1 in the last league action before the international break.

Rangers return to domestic duty with a fixture at Tannadice on Sunday, September  15 as they meet Dundee United. Their first Europa League will take place the midweek before the visit of Hibernian and has yet to be confirmed as Clement's side await the draw for the league phase.

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“When I think about timelines, it is an aspiration at this stage because again I am caveating it and there is still uncertainty,” Bennett told RangersTV. “If I think about timelines, clearly it is about the timeline of us returning to our home, which we all desperately want, clearly after the September international break and it is a case of how long after the September international break? We can aspire, aspire, for that to be at the end of September but it is an aspiration.

“I am sorry that I have to caveat this, it frustrates me so much that I have to caveat it, but I think I have given the reasons I have to caveat it – the shipping situation. Yes, I can have an aspiration to get our people back into our home for the final game of September. But, yes, it could slip beyond that.”