STEVEN GERRARD admits he was 'very proud' to see defender Calvin Bassey cope with his Europa League group stage debut against Standard Liege.

The defender replaced Borna Barisic during the Group D opener and produced an impressive performance as Rangers earned a 2-0 victory.

Bassey has made six appearances since making the move from Leicester in the summer and Gerrard is encouraged by the way he is progressing at present.

He said: “I thought he was outstanding. For someone who has very little experience, to come into a game as big as that and at that level and perform the way he did made us very proud.

“He's a fantastic kid, a kid who wants to learn, who wants grow and evolve and with team we're really confident we can help polish him up and get him to become even better than he is.

“He's got real interesting attributes right now and he showed them [on Thursday] night, which was fantastic to see.

“He's in a good place and he's ready. That's the key thing.

“Calvin, every time he has been called upon since he walked in, he's been ready to produce. So he's in a good place."