STEVEN GERRARD has hailed Rangers defender Nathan Patterson after the full-back made a huge impact for Scotland during the international break. 

The Ibrox youngster started for Steve Clarke against Israel before delivering the cross for Lyndon Dykes’ winner in the Faroe Islands on matchday two. 

Gerrard watched Scotland’s memorable 3-2 victory over Israel and despite acknowledging that it took Patterson a while to warm into the game, the Govan boss was mightily impressed with his players’ display. 

He said: “It was certainly no surprise. You’re talking about a kid who is really hungry, he’s full of desire and commitment. I think you could see that in his performances.  

“I watched him in the Israel game and he got off to a slow start. But I think that was down to being a little bit over-eager. He settled down into the game really well and got stronger, and finished the game really well.  

“It was really good for me to see him playing with other top players like Andy Robertson and Billy Gilmour, these type of players.  

“But in terms of his contribution and output, it’s not surprise to us – because we see it on a daily basis.  

“I mean, just before he joined up with Scotland, he put an absolute top class delivery into the box for us to get the breakthrough – or the equaliser – against Hibs. That ball was world class.  

“And he obviously got an assist in the second game for Scotland. So he’s in a fantastic place, Nathan. We just need to keep his feet on the ground, keep developing him, teaching him and shaping him.  

“We need the support of the Scotland staff and that relationship, as well, to keep him moving forward. But there’s no getting away from it. Rangers and Scotland have got a real top prospect on their hands, for sure.” 

Kemar Roofe is another who made an impact on international duty as he netted for Jamaica against Honduras during their World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Thursday morning. 

Gerrard has made contact with the striker to discuss his availability for tomorrow's crucial Scottish Premiership clash against Hearts and he is hopeful that he will be fit and available for selection. 

Giving a squad update, he continued: “Kemar Roofe is in transit. We’ve had contact and we’ve spoken to him. We hope to have him available for tomorrow but he’ll certainly miss today’s session. 

“He’s still travelling back but we have the medical team waiting for him later on who will look after him and assess him and hopefully make sure he’s ready for tomorrow’s game. 

“Ryan Kent is very close. We are looking to have him back with the squad sometime after the weekend in terms of training and then we’ll see how he goes from there. 

“Ryan Jack is not too far away as well, maybe a couple of weeks and he’ll be back with the team which is good news. He keeps progressing well. 

“All the internationals have come back safe and well and we’re just obviously waiting for Kemar to get confirmation of his availability. The last time we had contact with him he was feeling okay.” 

Rangers meet an inform Hearts at Ibrox who will be looking to topple the Scottish Premiership champions from top spot in the table. 

On tomorrow's opponents, Gerrard added: “First and foremost, if you love the game and love football the way I do, I’m very pleased to see Hearts back in the top league.  

“I thought they were very unfairly treated during the Covid days. So it’s great to see them back. They’ve started the season really well, Robbie has done a fantastic job and I know he’s got a fantastic support staff there, as well as a good team with a lot of good players.  

“I think they’ve also recruited very well – and they’ve almost built on the confidence and consistency of last season, brought that into the Premiership. So, no surprise that they’ve started well.  

“But this is a game very much, for me, about us. My focus is on us. We’re on the back of a really top result just before the international break ourselves. And we’re looking to put some distance between ourselves and Hearts come five o’clock on Saturday afternoon.”