DAVID McCALLUM has praised Jermain Defoe for bridging the gap between the players and the coaching staff at Rangers following Steven Gerrard's departure to Aston Villa last week.

McCallum - one of four coaches alongside Defoe in charge in the interim while Giovanni van Bronckhorst's appointment is finalised - has been preparing the Premiership champions for Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final with Hibernian at the national stadium.

Speaking to Rangers TV, B team boss McCallum explained how the coaching staff have been getting ready for the Hampden showpiece - and was quick to heap praise on Defoe for the player-coach's efforts during the change in management.

"We are here to make sure the players are ready to go in the game as well as they can be from all over, from different parts of the club," he said.

"Myself and Brian [Gilmour] have come in from the academy to make sure things are running smoothly.

"Added to that you have the experience of Jermain who is obviously in that transition from player to coach, and that has been really beneficial to have that bridge between what we want to do on a playing perspective.

"Colin (Stewart) coming on from a goalkeeping perspective knows the journey and knows the players really well.

"There are just so many people who have made sure this is going as smoothly as it should be and it normally would be."

McCallum continued: "It’s been a great reaction [to Gerrard's exit]. They know how big this game is.

"We are making it really clear what we want them to do and how we want it to look. The team have been a certain way for a certain period of time, so we are trying to make sure that edge and energy is in them.

"They have been asking about a couple of areas where they would want clarity, and for the most part they have done what we wanted to do and that has come through in the sessions as well."