Thelo Aasgaard to tap into ‘monster mentality’ of compatriot Erling Haaland

Thelo Aasgaard hopes to tap into the “monster mentality” of Norway team-mate Erling Haaland to help make a success of his Rangers career.

The 23-year-old midfielder, who signed from Luton this summer, made the headlines during the international break when he grabbed a quadruple off the bench in the 11-1 mauling of Moldova – including an 11-minute hat-trick in Oslo.

However, he was usurped by one of the greatest strikers in the world, who came up with a quintuple of counters in the same game but, looking forward to the visit of Hearts to Ibrox on Saturday, Aasgaard spoke of the Manchester City star in glowing terms

He said: “First of all, (Haaland) is a brilliant character off the pitch. He’s a leader.

“He’s not a senior, I would say, but he’s a real big personality off the pitch and obviously on the pitch he speaks for himself.

“He gave the penalty to me for my hat-trick and that speaks volumes about his character.

“He’s a great example, his has been a career progression and it is clear to see he has a monster mentality – it is really important to stay strong.

“Every time I go away, I learn so much not just from him, but from all the players.

“There are a lot of quality players. We’ve got a really good team. I really enjoy going away, but I just need to focus on this next block of games before the next one and hopefully I can do it as well as I can.

“All I can do is just try to take that into the next game. I’m just desperate to do well at this club.”