Rangers have been given a ‘boost’ with confirmation PSV will not be using Malik Tillman at all for the playoff round tie at either Ibrox or the Philips Stadion after the Dutch giants curiously omitted the new signing from their Champions League squad to face Michael Beale’s men.

Whether they have axed him already or see him as too green for a match of this magnitude we couldn’t tell you, but given the influence he had on Rangers when his assist won us a group spot this time last season it’s definitely a strange decision.

While Ibrox Noise isn’t a huge fan of the Bayern Munich playmaker (can’t call him a ‘youngster’ anymore) nevertheless he has previous for stepping up on the occasional big occasion and delivering, and no one would know Michael Beale or Rangers’ defence better in the PSV group than the attacker.

So it’s a very odd call.

Then again, as we discussed before, Frank Bosz probably thinks Rangers are nothing much to write home about, and our victory over Servette was well below convincing, so doesn’t reckon someone like Tillman is even needed for this one.

Either that or he doesn’t rate Tillman high enough to include him in such an important match, and thinks he has much better options. And in fairness, he does. But no one in his squad has the level of insight Malik does on our club, and he’d be a very useful weapon to use against us.

But Bosz has made the call that he doesn’t need the lad, and we can’t help but feel that’s an odd one. Even if we don’t see Tillman as a great AM (Todd Cantwell knocks him out of the park) it’s his insight and relationships with so many current Rangers players that would have him as a very useful trojan horse for the Dutch side.

But apparently not, it seems!