The Norwegian international made an impressive return from the World Cup, scoring the equaliser in Rangers’ opening-day draw at Tannadice.

Thelo Aasgaard certainly has quality in his boots. However last season, that quality was only shown in flashes.

From stunning free-kicks to moments of individual brilliance, the Norwegian international showed glimpses of his true worth under former bosses Russell Martin and Danny Rohl, but the consistency wasn’t enough.

And going into the summer transfer window, many Rangers fans would have called it quits with Aasgaard after an underwhelming campaign. But that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

A revitalised Aasgaard has emerged in previous weeks. Promising performances against both Saint-Etienne and West Ham in pre-season earned him a well-deserved start at Tannadice on Friday evening.

In a flat Rangers performance, he was the only real spark that Rangers had the whole match, resulting in the Norwegian having to salvage an equaliser for Derek McInnes’ side.

His recent rebirth didn’t begin at Tannadice, though.

A tidy finish against France in the recent World Cup has certainly given the midfielder a massive boost coming into the new season.

Speaking after the match, Aasgaard said: “I’ve just tried to bring that quality from my six weeks out in America.

“I trained with some really good players every day (at the World Cup) and that raises your standards.

“So, I’ve tried to bring that to pre-season, and I feel like I’ve done that. I want to take some responsibility this year, to be the man. Hopefully I can do that.

“Playing among the best players in the world with Norway, having a good performance at the World Cup, that did wonders for my confidence.

“So, I’ve tried to bring that to Rangers and I’m feeling really good.”

Aasgaard cut his post-World Cup holiday short to re-join with the team early, determined to prove a point to new boss McInnes. And if his recent showings are anything to go with, it certainly looks like he is capable of becoming a key player rather than being there to add up the numbers.