GREG Stewart has pledged to supply the goals which help Rangers to maintain their title challenge in the absence of leading scorer Alfredo Morelos if he is given a longed-for run-out in the meeting with Hibernian at Easter Road on Friday night.

Morelos is suspended for the trip to the capital after being sent off for the first time this season for gesturing at opposition fans after scoring a goal in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

The loss of the striker, who took his tally for the 2019/20 campaign to 27 with his second-half effort at the weekend, is a blow to Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard ahead of such a difficult fixture.

READ MORE: Neither Morelos nor Motherwell supporters are innocent in Fir Park fracas

His side drew both of their games in Leith last season and their opponents have enjoyed a revival since Jack Ross succeeded Paul Heckingbottom as head coach last month.

Failing to win in Edinburgh will present Celtic, who are two points clear at the head of top flight table after 16 games, the chance to extend their lead against Aberdeen at home on Saturday.

Yet, Stewart, the former Dundee, Birmingham City, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen forward who has been used sparingly since joining Rangers in the summer, knows the absence of Morelos presents an opportunity.

Jermain Defoe, the former England internationalist who has netted 13 times this term, is likely to get the nod to lead the line, but the Scot is sure to feature at some stage too.

The 29-year-old, who scored twice in the 5-0 win over Hearts at the start of December after coming off the bench, knows that a good performance will increase his chances of being involved going forward.

“You want the best players out there and Alfredo has been one of them this season with his goals,” he said. “Even his overall play has come on as well. He’s going to be a loss to the team.

“But the squad is big enough that we can cope. I’ll just keep playing well and see what happens on Friday. For me personally it’s just a case of working hard and if any chances come you need to be ready.

“As a team we are in a good place at the minute. The cup final was a disappointment and we hadn’t won in three games so it was good to get back to winning ways yesterday. But we have been performing really well.

“We need to help the team by chipping in with goals and assists at the top end of the pitch. We can’t just rely on Alfredo and Jermain. It’s something we spoke about at the start of the season. The rest of the boys had to chip in and they’ve done that.

“Ryan Jack has scored a few goals as well. He has been unbelievable. We’ve got a big squad for what’s to come. If something goes wrong or if the boys aren’t performing well, we are in a good place.”

READ MORE: Steven Gerrard: Alfredo Morelos dismissal a 'setback' but ref was desperate to send someone off

Gerrard has been effusive in his praise of Stewart this term even though he has only started in five of the 34 matches that Rangers have had domestically and in Europe. The player admitted it had been difficult not be be involved as regularly as he would have liked.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed not to play every game, but you can only pick 11 players,” he said. “It’s just the way it goes. All you can try and do as a player is, when you get a chance, try and get in the manager’s mind to pick you for the next game.

“But the boys have been performing well in the last few games. It has been difficult to get in and the manager has not really changed much. It is just the way it is.

“As a team and group there is a good chemistry about the squad. We just need to keep on pushing. There are three games to go before the winter break and we have to try to get maximum points.”