Olwethu Makhanya lifts lid on rapid Rangers rise and reveals key Derek McInnes instruction

Olwethu Makhanya has warned Celtic that Rangers are only just getting started after back-to-back Old Firm wins.

The South African defender was outstanding for Derek McInnes’ side in their double-victory over the Hoops. Gers knocked their Glasgow rivals out of the Premier Sports Cup at Ibrox last weekend, before dominating Sunday’s league derby at Parkhead.

That win moved McInnes’ men to within two points of Celtic at the top of the table. And Makhanya insists there’s plenty of improvement still to come from this Rangers side. They’re now on a six-game winning run and have conceded only one goal in that time.

The 22-year-old, who has been hugely impressive since arriving from Philadelphia Union for just £3million, said: “Yeah, I definitely feel there’s more to come from this team. The importance of clean sheets is a conversation we always have with the attacking players. We say, ‘you know what, we’re going to do our job at the back and we trust you guys to create and score goals’.

“Over the games, we’ve created chances. We have been able to take some and not others. But we hope that, over time, we will become even more clinical.

"It was a really good feeling on Sunday. Going there, we knew it was going to be a really difficult game, especially after last week. So everyone expected a tough game and we had to be 100 percent focused from the start. That’s exactly what we did there.”

Makhanya is refusing to get carried away with Rangers’ current form, even after beating their Old Firm foes twice. But he’s certain that McInnes’ squad has now fostered a resilience that he believes will stand them in good stead for the campaign.

The centre-back said: “For us, we’re just taking it a game at a time. It’s a really long season. It’s been a good run but there’s more work to do. This week was a good one but we also understand that there’s a long run to come. The togetherness and willingness to fight for each other is going to be really important for us this season.

“It’s something that we’ve been working very hard on together, we’re spending more time together as a team. We’re starting to understand one another and I think that shows in the games with our willingness to fight. We trust each other.”

Makhanya excelled in both derby games against Celtic, despite being asked by McInnes to fill a dual role at the back for Rangers. In their man-to-man system which involved left-back James Penrice going into midfield, the South African international had to cover there as well as at centre-half. But he was an Old Firm stand-out and scored a stunning volley at Parkhead, only for it to be ruled out by VAR for a handball.

Makhanya said: “I wasn’t sure if I should celebrate the goal. I was just hoping they would give it to me but unfortunately not. Obviously the coach trusts me to play both positions and it’s something that I enjoy. That trust he puts in me is also good for my confidence. He also makes it easy for me with all the instructions he gives me every time I go out on the field.”

Rangers didn’t have any away supporters inside Celtic Park on Sunday but they got a huge send off from fans at Ibrox before the game. When they returned to Govan afterwards, they were greeted thousands of punters with flares and fireworks to celebrate the win. Makhanya says they felt the support of the Rangers faithful even inside an empty Parkhead And the defender feels that learning to cope with their demands and expectations is something new for him at Gers.

He said: “Joining Rangers, such a big club, there’s a lot of expectations and I’ve learned a lot of things about myself. I’ve learned to embrace all the love from the fans and the demands that you need to meet to be part of this club.

"Even though we didn’t have fans in the stadium on Sunday, we felt we had support behind us. As soon as we came out of Ibrox, the fans were outside. They were loud and cheering - and it really fired us up going there.”

Makhanya has adapted to life at Rangers with ease and has strolled through their Scottish Premiership games. Former Ibrox star Alan Hutton told Record Sport last week that he fears the South African will already be attracting attention from clubs in bigger leagues. Despite only arriving in Glasgow this summer, Hutton is worried that Makhanya won’t be at Rangers for very long. But the player himself insists he’s fully committed to his new club.

He said: “I’m here right now so obviously my focus is to give my best to the team. If in the future, I go elsewhere, I go elsewhere. But for now, I’m here and my full focus is on this club.”