RYAN Kent has revealed that Rangers have targeted a place in the Europa League knockout stages ahead of their opening Group G match against Villarreal in Spain on Thursday night.

Kent and his team mates have been drawn to face Rapid Vienna, Spartak Moscow and Villarreal in what is the Ibrox club’s first involvement in the group stages of a European tournament in eight years.

But the on-loan Liverpool player, who netted his first goal for the Glasgow club in their 4-0 rout of Dundee on Saturday, still believes they can go through to the last 32 of the competition.

Steven Gerrard’s men came through no fewer than four qualifying rounds – they overcame Shkupi, Osijek Maribor and Ufa over two legs - to reach the Europa League proper and that has given their winger confidence they can go further.

“As a young player, Europe is the biggest stage you want to be playing on,” he said. “ It is massive. Not just for me but for everyone in the team.

“We want to enjoy the moment as well. It is a big occasion for everyone associated with the club to be back at this stage of European competition and it will be a first for me as well.

“We will take it one game at a time and see how we are doing. But obviously we want to progress. We are in the competition so I don’t see why we can’t progress.

“Going into Thursday’s game, our performances have proved that we deserve a place in the group stage so we will go there with full confidence.”

Kent is hopeful of starting for Rangers in the Estadio de la Ceramica after being taken off early in the win over Dundee at the weekend.

“As a young player, Europe is the biggest stage you want to be playing on,” he said. “ It is massive. Not just for me but for everyone in the team.

“We want to enjoy the moment as well. It is a big occasion for everyone associated with the club to be back at this stage of European competition and it will be a first for me as well.

“We will take it one game at a time and see how we are doing. But obviously we want to progress. We are in the competition so I don’t see why we can’t progress.

“Going into Thursday’s game, our performances have proved that we deserve a place in the group stage so we will go there with full confidence.”

Kent is hopeful of starting for Rangers in the Estadio de la Ceramica after being taken off early in the win over Dundee at the weekend.

The 21-year-old revealed the 4-0 triumph has helped to atone for the disappointment of their 1-0 defeat to Celtic – who are now just two points above them in the Premiership table after a 0-0 draw with St Mirren in Paisley on Friday evening – 13 days earlier.

“After full-time on Saturday, everyone agreed that we could be have been better,” he said. “The biggest thing about the Dundee match was to bounce back from the last game and get the result. I think we will go over there with confidence and enjoy the game.”

Kent spent a loan spell at Freiburg in Germany last season and is hopeful his experience of the Bundelisga will prove invaluable in the Europa League in the coming months. “It allowed me to see different styles and philosophies in a different league,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kent admitted he is optimistic that he will be able to contribute more goals after finally opening his account for Rangers on Saturday.

“It was an amazing feeling to finally get my first goal,” he said. “It meant a lot to me. It’s been quite a while since I scored a goal. I have been knocking on the door recently and now I’ve broken through.

“Hopefully, I can now push on and get some more goals. I enjoyed the goal. It was good link up with Scott (Arfield).

“I was getting frustrated because people kept saying I needed to score goals. I think I have been unlucky up until now.

“But I have been working really hard on the training ground. I have been trying to compose myself in front of goal and that paid dividends.”