Shota Arveladze and Lorenzo Amoruso found the net for Alex McLeish's side against River Plate, with Flo a second-half substitute for Michael Mols in the cavernous Giants Stadium, New Jersey.

But the £12million forward claims he is ready to justify his fee, and says he has finally accepted that he will always be judged differently from his teammates now that the game's purse-strings have been tightened forever.

A haul of 25 goals last season couldn't get the former Chelsea supersub off the hook amid a series of uninspiring Old Firm performances and a marked failure to deliver in Europe.

However, the genial giant, perennially linked with a move away from Glasgow to help balance new chairman John McClelland's books, says he is now ready to start having 'fun' again.

'I am certainly feeling a lot better now,' Flo said. 'I didn't get a chance last season to do anything about my nose. The big problem was that I kept catching colds and couldn't get rid of them. I must have had one for six months.

'Whenever you have a cold, you are never quite right and it's fair to say that I never felt 100 per cent. So it's really good to know that it's all cleared up now. So far this pre-season, I've not been having any problems and it's been going well.

'I have never thought about going anywhere else - I just want to play well and score goals. Stories about other clubs don't affect me.

'I just want to have fun on the field, and now it would be nice to win the league.

'I suppose I am getting used to being judged maybe a little differently because of the price tag. But I know I could have been better in a lot of games last season.

'There were some good games, but I wasn't happy with my form overall. The manager has spoken to me and I know I need to be more consistent.'

The clash with Argentinian champions River Plate was precisely the sort of game which bypassed Flo all last season. Aside from Arthur Numan's red card, there were also cautions for Russell Latapy, Barry Ferguson and Amoruso.

Mols could easily have joined Numan on the violent conduct list after swinging an arm at Hernan Garce's ear as things heated up.

And everyone at Rangers could feel they had pushed themselves in a game which was as competitively played out as any friendly, giving its Major League Soccer organisers a taste of what U.S. crowds may never see - judging by the top-of-the-table warm-up tie.

Those fans of New York's MetroStars and Chicago Fire who stayed on for what was billed as an exhibition match were treated to a pulsating, if error-strewn, encounter which bore all the hallmarks of higher-level UEFA Cup action.

If Numan's expulsion may have left a sour taste with some, the quality of play served up by Rangers even in defeat will have done no harm whatsoever in McClelland's quest to unlock the keys to global merchandising.

Their troubles at the back were largely self-inflicted, with Stefan Klos exposed on numerous occasions. Indeed, Craig Moore had to rush back and head off his line at one comical moment.

Celso Ayala's tap-in for River Plate's first, midway through the first half, was deeply disappointing given that Ronald de Boer had missed a gaping goal from four yards out within minutes of the kick-off.

Ferguson was caught napping at a short free-kick from Amoruso to trigger the Argentinians' second from Victor Zapata. The Italian, fresh from scoring himself, was then out-paced by sub Maximiliano Lopez, River Plate's third goalscorer.

But de Boer's chance was not the only one passed up, with Arveladze missing an open goal when Latapy's chip came back perfectly for him off a post.

The Georgian steadied himself to take full advantage of a rampaging Fernando Ricksen's cross as the fightback began around the hour-mark.

And Amoruso's fine 30-yard free-kick, aided by a deflection, had Rangers in the ascendancy only to be undone by the defender's sluggish response straight from the restart.

All told, Rangers may not be pushed as hard again, Saturday's game against Brazil's Santos notwithstanding, until the first round of SPL games is nearing completion with Old Firm and European ties left in cold storage.