GARY McAllister believes John Lundstram has taken time to settle at Rangers because he has been trying too hard – but predicted the English midfielder can build on his encouraging showing in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win over Livingston and become an influential player.

Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard was delighted to have landed “major transfer target” Lundstram, who joined from Sheffield United on a free  in July, during the summer.

However, the 27-year-old has struggled to make an impact in Glasgow and picked up a potentially costly red card in the first leg of the Europa League play-off double header against Alashkert last month.

Former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder McAllister feels the new recruit has needed games to adapt to the amount of possession that Rangers enjoy domestically as well as the 4-3-3 formation which the Scottish champions use.

However, the assistant was impressed with his display in a 2-0 win over Livingston on Wednesday night that secured a place in the semi-finals at Hampden in November and is confident he has a lot to offer going forward. 

“It’s about him getting to know the system and positional sense, where we want him to be positioned when we are building,” he said. “Sometimes his eagerness to try and impact the game or influence the game means he’s running around maybe too much.

“I suppose with more experience and coaching from the guys in and around the football club he’ll definitely get better. I thought he played very well (against Livingston).

“We don’t want to take that aggression away from John, but the facts are he is playing in a system that is new to him and it’s very competitive in the middle of the park as well. We’ve got good players, we’ve got probably six or seven quality midfield players.

“All of a sudden he’s at a club where we enjoy a lot of possession of the football. The team he played for, no disrespect to them, didn’t have as much of the ball as we have. There are big differences. I think he's getting there.

“I think it’s his eagerness and his willingness to actually do well. He’s maybe trying too hard. But every day in training he is getting more comfortable in the position and what his role can be in the team. He can play as a six or he can play as a running eight. It does take time.”

McAllister was pleased to welcome back Ianis Hagi, who was forced to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 after the international break earlier this month, on Wednesday night.

He feels the Romanian, the son of football great Gheorghe who set up Kemar Roofe for the opening goal against Livingston just minutes after taking to the field, reads the game well and can provide Rangers with the guile they need in attack. 

“There is a cleverness about Ianis and it’s positional, it’s his awareness of how to play the role,” he said. “Sometimes you see players that are really, really busy, running from box to box.

“But sometimes it’s actually advantageous to stand still and get your positioning right. He’s somebody who’s watched a lot of football and obviously his dad wasn’t bad either.

“He has learned from the fact you don’t have to be flying around the pitch to make an impact. It’s cleverness of positioning and cleverness of where you receive and take it.”

Meanwhile, McAllister has expressed confidence that Lundstram’s fellow midfielder Glen Kamara, who signed a contract committing his future to Rangers until 2025, can improve even further in the coming seasons. 

“I’ve got to say I’m a big fan, a massive fan, of Glen,” he said. “He’s been outstanding since the day he arrived and he keeps improving. I watch him when he plays with his national team and he plays with a lot of poise and a lot of class.

“We are delighted that he has signed a long-term contract. He is a quality player who we think can still improve. He’s a very, very talented boy.”