As the final international break of the club season winds to a close, several Rangers players will return to Glasgow ahead of Saturday's meeting with Hibs.

Philippe Clement’s team have a rare free midweek between that tie and the next Old Firm game as the squad continues to look stronger, but how have those away with their respective countries performed over the past couple of weeks?

From Fabio Silva’s ‘second No.9’ role, to the good and bad of Cyriel Dessers and a goal for Ianis Hagi - here’s everything you need to know.

Fabio Silva

Silva started and scored in his side’s 4-0 win over Faroe Islands last Thursday - a result which kept  Portugal top of their Euro Under-21 qualification group. The 21-year-old also scored from the penalty spot and created two more goals in his nation’s emphatic 5-1 win over Croatia on Tuesday.

In both games, Silva was playing from the left in a free attacking role that saw left-back Rafael Rodrigues offer width. It’s not dissimilar from the one fulfilled by Silva at Ibrox recently due to an array of injuries out wide. The forward rarely hugged the touchline, often moving into the centre to combine and play close to goal.

READ MORE: The Cole McKinnon story: Emerging from adversity, sliding doors and Thistle loan

Silva’s strike in the win over the Faroe Islands showed the benefit of this approach. As the ball is worked wide notice how the forward is static having inverted from the left-wing. He times his movement perfectly rather than rushing a run into the vacant space, buying him just enough time to score from a narrow-angle through the keeper’s legs.

The on-loan Wolves forward was his side’s best player in a convincing win over Croatia - and his creativity for the fourth goal stood out to assist Old Firm rival Paulo Bernardo. Silva is adept at finding ways to chop back onto his right foot when isolated wide with clever body feints and quick decision-making. In the lead-up to his assist, the forward turned his marker twice before picking out his teammate.

While there are questions about Rangers’ ruthlessness up top heading into the final weeks of the season, Silva has adapted quickly to life in Glasgow. The strike to secure Scottish Cup progression against Hibs, again when starting from the left, showed similar themes to drift infield and chop his defender before finishing on his right foot. Clement will be encouraged at Silva’s performances over two matches as the season enters its telling weeks.

Cyriel Dessers

Dessers, restored to the national set-up, scored a penalty as Nigeria saw off Ghana 2-1 last week before missing an excellent one-on-one chance in his side's 2-0 defeat against Mali. It followed a trend seen all season in the 29-year-old’s game, Dessers appears to be a better finisher when working within a limited timeframe. Given too much space when bearing down one-v-one, as was the case at Celtic Park, the forward seems less likely to score.

With that being said, Dessers still has 16 goals for Rangers this season and no player has averaged a higher goals/90 ratio in the league since Clement arrived at the club. Dessers’ 0.8 goals/90 is marginally higher than his nearest competitor, Lawrence Shankland at 0.71. 

Dessers’ contribution in front of goal shouldn’t be overlooked. Simultaneously, does he have the necessary decision-making to provide in the big moments? The former Feyenoord forward will of course be encouraged at a return to the Super Eagles’ set-up. His script between now and May is still very much there to be written one way or the other.

Ianis Hagi

Hagi has endured a frustrating loan spell in Spain to date, as the Rangers Review explored recently. Minutes have been limited and since a costly penalty miss during the first half of the season against Almería, Hagi’s confidence has appeared shaky at points. Life with the international team has often come with plenty of pressure given Hagi’s legendary father Gheorghe is considered the best of all time, but Hagi’s form for his country has been good in recent months.

READ MORE: Inside Ianis Hagi's loan struggles: A key penalty miss, confidence and injury journey

Although Romania fell to a 3-2 defeat in their friendly with Colombia the on-loan Rangers midfielder created and scored a goal through clever pressing. Recognising there was an opportunity to win the ball, the 25-year-old sprung quickly to steal possession before finishing with composure when one-on-one.

Any other business

John Souttar endured a difficult second-half substitute appearance as Scotland fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands on Friday night. Steve Clarke’s side, who also suffered a surprise 1-0 loss against Northern Ireland on Tuesday, were arguably the better team in Amsterdam for large stages until they fell apart in the second half. 

Rabbi Matondo was an unused substitute in both of Wales’ fixtures as they lost a penalty shootout to Poland that ended their Euro 2024 hopes.

Ridvan Yilmaz lasted less than half an hour in Turkey’s 1-0 defeat against Hungary on Friday. Reports from the Daily Record suggest that the knock is not severe.

Adam Devine and Cole McKinnon were second-half substitutes in Scotland Under-21's 4-1 win against Khazakstan late last week. Leon King started, moving into right-back when his side had possession. King has fulfilled that role in brief spells under Clement and played a well-placed pass over the top of the visiting defence to win a penalty.