STEVEN GERRARD was pleased with his returning Ibrox stars and new Rangers recruit as the champions were held to a goalless draw by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Gerrard’s side continued their preparations for the upcoming campaign with a solid showing on Saturday evening and will now host Real Madrid in a glamour friendly clash on Sunday.

Defender Niko Katic made his return to action after over a year out with a cruciate knee ligament injury, while countryman Borna Barisic featured following his time at the European Championships with Croatia this summer.

Striker Fashion Sakala was handed his debut off the bench and Gerrard could be encouraged with how Rangers’ latest friendly fixture unfolded ahead of the big Premiership kick-off next weekend.

Gerrard told RangersTV: “It’s a special day for Niko, he has worked extremely hard over the last year.

“It’s still very early, people can’t expect to see him back regularly just yet, we need to work him in.

“We need to be patient. He thinks he is ready now but we have to respect the injury.

“The 45 minutes will do him the world of good so I am pleased for him.

“Fashion is only a week in and that’s after being in a hotel room for ten days which is tough.

“With time and more games and as he gets used to us and our style he will get better and better.

“You could see in the box he wants to get shots off, so that’s another positive.

“Barisic and [Glen] Kamara got minutes in their legs as well which is good.

“We have another big test [on Sunday] and then we have next week.”