Rangers vs Hibernian: Players should 'thrive' in Ibrox atmosphere, says Lee Johnson

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson believes Ibrox is the perfect venue for his players to show their true talent as he insists defender Ryan Porteous will not be sold on the cheap in January.

They return from the World Cup break against Rangers on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports, looking to make an impact after three straight defeats in November.

The Easter Road side currently sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership and Johnson is backing his players to show just how good they are after some intense training.

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"First and foremost it's acted as a brilliant reset for us," he told Sky Sports News.

"We know where we are, this is part of a long journey.

"There has been some excellent part of our play this year and there have been some bits that we really do need to improve on.

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"It's very fine margins, it's still really condensed in that area of the league and we feel like putting in a couple of good results together can catapult us to where we want to be in the league.

"Obviously, Ibrox is a fantastic place to play and the boys should absolutely thrive on that.

"They should go out to a stadium like that, with an atmosphere like that, and want to be the best player on the pitch.

"I think this serves as an opportunity for individuals to go and show form is temporary, but class is permanent."

Thursday's match will be new Rangers manager Michael Beale's fist league game since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Johnson is expecting a different team from the one they drew with at Easter Road in August.

"I think naturally the new manager will bring his ideas into it, he added.

"The consistency that they've had at the club with Michael Beale at the club for that period of time under Steven Gerrard, the boys will naturally understand what he's after.

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"You can already see that in the game we watched at the weekend (against Leverkusen) so you start to see the principles of play coming back into it.

"It is slightly different with the way they build with the ball and slightly different off the ball as well, but we'll be ready for it."

Will Porteous stay at Hibs beyond January?

Porteous is set to leave Easter Road after the club confirmed he turned down a "highly-improved new deal" at Easter Road.

The defender's current contract ends in the summer of 2023 and Johnson insists he will only be allowed to leave in January if any offer outweighs his impact on the pitch.

"You have to weigh up the benefit of keeping Ryan in and competing for those European places, and a potential cup run as well, while the succession plan has to be considered," said the manager.

"If the fee is right and we're able to reinvest it in a younger player, or a player we feel could be as good as Ryan, then we have to look at that opportunity as well.

"What I would say is Ryan has been fantastic, he's been the perfect professional and absolutely he's available for selection.

"Myself and Ryan have a very good relationship as well and it's stayed honest all the way through. I've got no issues with him personally.

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