Competition in the squad will make us stronger, says Declan John

Steven Gerrard's arrival in Glasgow has brought with it a big turnover in players, with seven signed by the club so far during the close season.

John was brought in last summer by previous boss Pedro Caixinha and went on to establish himself at left-back following an injury to Lee Wallace, and he faces competition to retain his spot following the arrival of Jon Flanagan.

The former Liverpool man joined on a free last week and is the latest in a string of defensive reinforcements brought in by Gerrard, with Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson also arriving.

John is looking forward to working under the former England captain and nail down his spot.

Speaking from the club's pre-season tour to Spain, he told RangersTV: "From the first day we came in, we can all feel the buzz and it has been going ever since. I think we just want to keep working hard, get pre-season out of the way and then get ready to go.

"Of course it is good (having competition) and I think we need two or three players in each position.

"It makes everyone work harder in training as you want to keep your place and hopefully start in the games when the season comes around.''

The arrival of Gerrard at Rangers means John is now managed at international and club level by two recently retired, high-profile players, with Ryan Giggs in charge of the Welsh national team.

The two boast 29 major trophies between them, and John is hoping he can learn as much as possible during their time in charge.

"The two of them were massive players who played at the highest level for both club and country,'' he said. "If I can take tips from both of them then it is only going to improve me as a player.

"I think if you ask anyone that question, then they will say he (Gerrard) is one of their idols. He had an amazing career and was a top-class player.'