Just 48 hours before Flo leads the Ibrox line against Turkish champions Fenerbahce, Norway assistant manager Harald Aabrekk, a long-standing mentor and confidant of the Rangers record buy, directed some friendly fire in the direction of his international charge.

Following an impressive start to the season alongside Claudio Caniggia, the towering forward was openly criticised by Rangers manager Dick Advocaat after being replaced at half-time in a toothless 0-0 draw with Livingston.

And, in spite of embarking upon a specialised weight-training routine aimed at bulking up his slender frame, Flo will be told before next week's friendly with Turkey that his international future may also be up in the air following a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign.

Aabrekk, a former coach of the striker at Brann Bergen and Tromso, warned: 'Tore Andre needs to be playing consistently better if he is to play for the national team.

'He has not played well in the last couple of matches and that is worrying because, a couple of seasons ago, he was central to all of our play and our success at the major championships.

'If the national team are to have success again, I believe that Tore Andre can be part of it.

'But now he is competing with John Carew of Valencia and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United and, if he is to get into the team ahead of them, he must play well against Fenerbahce in the Champions League and in the Scottish League as well.'

Aabrekk saw Flo score against the Slovenians of Maribor last Wednesday and was concerned at the teething problems which continue to obscure an impressive scoring ratio which runs to 23 goals in 16 games.

'The game in Scotland is physical and I think it's necessary for Tore Andre to be more physical as well. He is training hard with weights on his legs to toughen up - he knows that is something he needs to improve on.

'Part of the problem is that Rangers play a very different game from Norway. I think they play more like a European team, passing and moving while, with Norway, we are more direct and have our strikers facing the goal more often.

'Mr Advocaat likes his strikers to come through from deep and attack the ball - we want ours to be in the box all of the time.'

Advocaat's displeasure with Flo extended to a humiliating substitution at the weekend, followed by an admission that he was 'not pleased' with the Norwegian's performance.

Indeed, the Jekyll and Hyde persona which plagues the striker's play is already in evidence after he appeared to strike up a promising partnership with both Caniggia and Russell Latapy in earlier matches - followed by a shallow, feeble display while being outmuscled by Livingston's Marvin Andrews.

Yet, it's in the European arena, one where technical skills are more highly valued than physical prowess, that Aabrekk believes Flo's salvation lies.

'I watched the game in Glasgow against Maribor. I thought his performance was good but Rangers are, of course, far better than Maribor.

'Tore Andre played his best-ever football in the Champions League for Chelsea. That being the case, he should be good enough to play in Scotland.

'I remember a game for Chelsea against Barcelona in the Champions League when Tore Andre scored two goals in a big win and played fantastically well.

'I heard he was replaced at the weekend and it is disappointing that he is being criticised again.