Rangers star quizzed on long-term future as he makes coffee club admission

The 26-year-old has emerged as one of Rangers’ leaders under manager Derek McInnes this season and has made the right-back spot his own despite the summer signings of Kosta Nedeljkovic and Ross McCrorie.

On a nine-match unbeaten run, Rangers put their good form on the line on Wednesday night when they take on a Hearts side that hasn’t lost a Premiership match at Tynecastle since May last year.

Two of those games in this long invincible run came against Rangers last season, with Sterling scoring the opener in a 2-1 loss that ended the Ibrox side’s own title aspirations.

It led to questions about Rangers’ mentality and while Sterling does not think that has been an issue in previous campaigns, he does feel the current group are more united.

“I’d say so,” said Sterling. “In the past, we might have had four, five or six different groups that would then come together. Here, the groups are limited and everyone is more together. You’ve probably seen online that most of the lads go for coffees and stuff. Obviously, I don’t do coffees, but it’s things like that you see, and it’s good to see as well.

“In terms of mentality, I don’t really think there has been an issue in past squads. I think it’s more that we’ve always had key injuries in key positions and to key players.

“Then we’ve started slowly, had to chase to get back into it and basically run out of steam at the end. Right now, we’re keeping up with the pace because, at this stage last season, we were 13 or 14 points behind. At the minute, we’re only four behind.

“It’s not a bad start, but obviously it’s not the best start. Going out of Europe might be a blessing in disguise, but it’s also a disappointment because you want to be playing in Europe.”

Sterling believes that if Rangers show their best version of themselves, nobody else in the top flight can live with them.

“I think it’s about the trust and belief in ourselves,” the former Chelsea youngster continued. “We know that, if we turn up and we’re the right Rangers, nobody can stop us in the league.

“It’s more about the belief within the squad and the trust in each other. Even on a day-to-day basis, the demands we put on ourselves in training are very high. Sometimes there can be squabbles, fights and stuff, but that’s just how it is.”

Sterling still has 18 months to run on his contract but given his good form, he was asked whether he would consider an extension to his deal.

“With my future being questioned in the past, I think that was all outside noise, to be honest,” added Sterling. “The club and I knew that, once I got back into a stable position, we’re seeing the benefits now.

“In terms of staying in the future, that depends on the club and me agreeing to something that seems good for both parties. I’m happy, there are no problems and I’m still under contract.”