Rangers 3-1 Queen of the South Arfield scores two in League Cup win

Robbie Ure made the dream start to his Rangers debut, with an early goal

Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst watched Rangers secure a comfortable League Cup last-16 win over Queen of the South then said he fully expects Alfredo Morelos to remain at Ibrox beyond Thursday's transfer deadline.

A debut goal from 18-year-old striker Robbie Ure gave Rangers the lead before Lee Connelly levelled for the visitors with a sublime curling shot.

Scott Arfield restored Rangers' advantage and the midfielder finished a slick passing move late in the game to ensure progress to the quarter-finals.

Morelos' future has been in doubt with the striker, into the final year of his contract, dropped from the squad for last week's Champions League play-off win over PSV Eindhoven amid concerns over his fitness and attitude.

Van Bronckhorst held talks with on Sunday with the the 26-year-old, who completed a two-match ban against Queens following his red card against Hibernian.

The Rangers boss aid: "Yes, fully [expect him to stay]. It was a good chat because he had a good week training wise so he knows what he has to do.

"The week was very good but the season is still long so we need him not only for a week but for the whole season."

Rangers, who last lifted the trophy in the 2010-11 season, made 11 changes from Saturday's 4-0 win over Ross County, with Ure joined by fellow academy players Leon King and Adam Devine, while Scotland midfielder Ryan Jack filled in at centre-half.

Ure's first appearance got off to a fantastic start when his shot clipped a defender to deceive goalkeeper Max Currie after a neat lay-off inside the penalty area from Glen Kamara.

The League 1 side hit back soon after when Connelly intercepted a mis-hit pass-back from Fashion Sakala and lofted a marvellous finish over Allan McGregor from the edge of the penalty area.

Rangers responded with a period of fierce pressure and Arfield timed his run perfectly to ram home a clever cut-back from Rıdvan Yilmaz.

Devine, Sakala and Arfield all tested Currie before half-time, with key men rested before Saturday's derby visit to Celtic Park and next week's Champions League opener at Ajax.

There was a scare for Rangers in a largely forgettable second 45 minutes when Devine sliced a clearance over his own crossbar.

Then came a late touch of class as Arfield doubled his tally with a composed side-foot finish from a cute Charlie McCann back-heel, and Rangers ended the evening with three 16-year-olds on the pitch; Zak Lovelace, Paul Nsio and Archie Stevens.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst: "Our main objective was to go to the next round, and we used this game to give players more minutes.

"In the end, we could give youngsters their first taste of Ibrox. It gives them a goal to train hard in the academy to get more games here. Overall it was a good win against an opponent who did really well."