Rangers went into the break on a run of six straight victories, the latest two over Celtic in the League Cup and Premiership.

It was a much-needed revival for McInnes, who was named the Premiership manager of the month for September, and his side after a rocky start to his time at Ibrox which involved an exit from European competition.

The Rangers boss says he is under “no illusions” their good form has to continue, and also revealed he had lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson at the club’s training ground.

The former Manchester United boss was a regular visitor to Tynecastle last season as McInnes spearheaded Hearts’ unexpected title charge.

“He spent a bit of time with the staff and me, chewing the fat as he does,” McInnes explained. “He has always been really supportive, and I’m sure he is with a lot of managers.

“I’ve had a couple of conversations with him since I’ve been at the club, but to see him in person was good. Particularly after his health scare.

“He enjoyed what we were doing at Hearts and he was a regular visitor. But he understood the opportunity for me to come here was there and we spoke long and hard about that.

“He spoke about his own difficult starts at Man Unuited, and he said it’s how you finish a campaign not how you start the campaign. Sometimes it can take time.

“He thought we were really strong on the performance at Celtic Park in particular.”

Scanlon was full of compliments for Cardiff head coach Brian Barry-Murphy, who helped the club secure promotion from League One in 2025-26 at the first time of asking.

“Everyone knows how good a coach he is, his tactics, how he wants to play football, it’s brilliant to be a part of,” said Scanlon.

“But he’s also a brilliant man-manager, he has a relationship with all the players. When you’re out on the pitch you want to play for him.

“Whoever you speak to will have positives to say about him.”

Barry-Murphy has turned Cardiff into an attacking, possession-based team, with the Bluebirds having registered more shots than any other team in the Championship through eight games.

“How Liverpool play, it’s very similar to how Cardiff play. Both clubs are very intense in what they do, everyone leaves 100% out on the field,” added Scanlon.

“That’s what I’ve noticed coming in here, just how similar it is. I enjoy training in both environments, but the one thing I recognise is how intense it is.

“Obviously there are differences, but it is not miles apart in terms of what we’re trying to get out of training.”