Halliday says McInnes “knows the pressure cooker he’s stepping into”. It will be like nothing he has experienced in the dugout previously.

Expectation may be high at Aberdeen and Hearts but the relentless need to win at the Old Firm is on another level.

As a former Rangers player who was brought up supporting the club, he will be aware of that, although he will still have to convince some fans that he has what it takes to drive the side back to consistently winning major honours.

An unknown quantity in Europe, having only managed in qualifiers, he will also have to navigate two ties to reach the Europa League proper, where Rangers have excelled in recent years.

But it is domestic pressure that his predecessors who have come post-Gerrard have shown signs of struggling with, whether that has meant dragging the team into title fights and falling at the final hurdle or failing to mount a serious challenge.

On other occasions, the reality has been that they have been competing with a Celtic side boasting superior spending power and quality.

Following the takeover of the club by a US-based consortium, who now face a potentially defining season, the financial argument has quietened somewhat after a supposed £40m spend last season.

Despite the big backing, Martin immediately put himself on the back foot with an opening-day draw at Motherwell last August.

Twelve months earlier, Philippe Clement did likewise in the first match of his first full season in charge, drawing at Hearts. The year before that, Michael Beale lost at Kilmarnock.

A positive start in Friday’s Premiership curtain-raiser at Dundee United is crucial for McInnes as excuses start to run dry.

Rangers play six league games before travelling to Celtic in the campaign’s first Old Firm encounter. Halliday believes Rangers have to be flawless in each of them.

“There have been too many cases in the past where Rangers have gone into the first Old Firm of the season feeling they have to win,” he adds.

“It’s imperative they win every game in the lead up to it this year.”

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John Stones has verbally agreed to join Inter Milan on a free transfer, according to Sky in Italy.

The England defender’s representatives are now set to finalise terms with Inter over a two-year contract.

Juventus made contact with the England defender’s camp over the weekend. He also has interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League.

Inter were aware of the significant interest and worked to close a deal for the 32-year-old.

Interest remains in Spurs captain Cristian Romero, who is head coach Christian Chivu’s top defensive target.

However, the cost of a potential deal for Romero is expected to be significant.

There is a potential for Inter to sign Romero and Stones if Benjamin Pavard leaves, but as things stand, it is Stones that the Italian champions are pushing for.

However, despite making five appearances for England at the World Cup, there may be questions over Stones’ fitness history.

The 32-year-old was limited to only 439 Premier League minutes last season due to thigh, calf and muscular injuries, and only played 547 minutes in another disrupted campaign before that.

The former Everton defender did not play more than 59 per cent of Premier League minutes in any of his 10 seasons at Manchester City.