After the Dundee United match in which Rangers technically lost four men, Steven Gerrard said a dip into the transfer market was now essential, that he already was looking but now it was effectively critical.

Two weeks later, no new arrivals whatsoever suggests Gerrard was playing mind games with the existing squad, challenging them to up their game or be replaced.

True, all the injuries received were certainly unwelcome. Rangers were already missing Joe Aribo and Niko Katic, but that match added (at the time) Alfredo Morelos, Brandon Barker, Ryan Jack and Leon Balogun.

It turns out the squad has more than stepped up, filled in, and has dropped the ball just once, implying more than a touch that Gerrard was using that as a threat, challenging the current crop to up their performances and the existing squad players to take this chance.

And boy has it worked. Scott Arfield, a fringe player at the start of this season, has been outstanding, Jordan Jones has come in and produced an excellent display, and even Calvin Bassey did a turn in Barisic’s place.

This is what we need at Ibrox – while new signings are and always will be welcome, having an existing group of players that can deputise and step up when first choice regulars get injured is even more important.

We lost Jack? Davis stepped up. We lost Balogun? Helander stepped up. We lost Barker? Jones is now stepping up.

It’s vital to have that depth, and Gerrard may well have been testing it with those comments.

He may have been throwing down the gauntlet to the squad – step up or I replace you.

And it looks like they have.