STEVEN GERRARD knew the qualities of Kemar Roofe as a player before he arrived at Ibrox. Now he understands him better as a person as he continues to go from strength to strength for Rangers.

The £3.5million fee that Rangers paid Anderlecht for Roofe's services in the summer looks more of a shrewd move with every passing week. Having signed a four-year deal, he is set to play a key role for some time to come.

As the striker continues to impress, his influence only rises at Ibrox and he will make his Old Firm debut with the chance to shine on the most significant afternoon of the season so far as Gerrard's side bid to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership.

A tally of 12 goals from 20 appearances goes some way to telling the story of Roofe's campaign so far but his work off the park has caught Gerrard's eye just as much as his efforts on it in recent months.

Gerrard said: “He’s been a pleasure to coach and to manage. He’s very low maintenance. He comes in and does everything that’s asked of him.

“He’s very thorough in his preparation, he works extremely hard and he trains the way he plays.

“He’s always preparing himself for matchday so it’s no surprise he’s in such fantastic form.

“He’s a leader in the way he goes about it, not necessarily in the vocal sense, but he’s definitely someone you want alongside you.

“He’s an example to everyone else and the goals speak for themselves. He’s done that throughout his career but it’s been a real eye opener to be around him.

“We have been surprised by his leadership skills and qualities and to appreciate how much of a winner he is.

“So to have him available as part of our squad now that he’s fully fit is really exciting going into this game.”

Given his fine career with Leeds United before the made the move to Belgium, Rangers didn't exactly have to unearth a hidden gem as they added Roofe to their list of targets last summer.

The work to scout the 27-year-old was only part of the job, however. Once Gerrard had identified Roofe as a fit into his team, he needed to ensure he would slot seemlessly into the squad.

Gerrard said: "Before we make signings we do a lot of due diligence into their characters, what they are like.

"We ask ex-players that have played with them or been around them, ex-managers and coaches.

"We get a lot of information before we actually press the green button and say ‘yes, we want to do this’.

"Everyone spoke extremely well and I obviously had a lot of dialogue with Vincent Kompany about the player as well. Vincent didn’t want to lose Kemar.

"That is the reality of it and tells a story but certain managers and certain clubs maybe have to make certain decisions that are out of your control.

"I knew before I went to Vincent that we were dealing with a top player, a goal scorer and a workaholic, someone who is relentless in terms of regaining the ball and had loads and loads of quality.

"To add a leader in the group, and someone who is low maintenance, is two major bonuses from a managers’ point of view."