Mark Warburton is confident Rangers can take on Celtic this season
Mark Warburton believes Rangers will be strong enough to take on Celtic this season regardless of whether he is able to bring in any further new faces.
Mark Warburton believes Rangers will be strong enough to take on Celtic this season regardless of whether he is able to bring in any further new faces.
The Ibrox boss has added nine players to his squad after axing another eight at the end of last term.
But the Englishman is still keen to sign up a couple more new recruits as he his side close in on their Premiership opener with Hamilton on August 6th.
Warburton says Gers' head of recruitment Frank McParland is currently scouring the country for fresh faces but admits the competition for signatures is stiff.
But the former city trader says he will not panic if the Light Blues fail to land their top targets, insisting he has enough talent currently at his disposal to ensure the club can compete with Brendan Rodgers' Hoops.
Warburton - speaking after his side's 3-0 Betfred Cup win over East Stirling on Friday night - said: “There is a lot of work going on. Frank and his team are working tirelessly and hopefully we can get one over the line.
“But they have to be the right person.
“There are a lot of people after the same players and we hope we can beat them to it.
“But if we can't get something sorted, the squad as it is looks in good shape.”
Gers racked up their third straight win of the new-look League Cup to maintain their place at the top of Group F.
Goals from Andy Halliday, Josh Windass and debutant forward Joe Dodoo gave the Ibrox side victory but Warburton was pleased to see his line-up bursting with options.
Former Leicester man Dodoo made his introduction off the bench, while Croatian playmaker Niko Kranjcar was a half-time replacement for Windass.
First-teamers like Wes Foderingham, Rob Kiernan, Joey Barton, Jason Holt and Martyn Waghorn were also given the night off ahead of Monday night's visit of Stranraer in their final group game.
“We had Joe Dodoo come on and score and also had Waggy on the bench,'' said Warburton after beating Lowland League minnows Shire.
“The bench is starting to look really strong and the stronger it looks the better we'll be.
“We need to have that headache when it comes to selection though. We didn't have it last season and I'm not saying we got away with it - far from it, because the team worked so hard - but we need to have that strength in depth.
“We've lost eight but have only gained one more body. The squad is still very light. If we get one or two more in then fine, but they have to be the right quality.”