Warburton: Rangers players may need promotion before gaining Scotland call

Mark Warburton admits Lee Wallace may have to wait until Rangers are back in the Premiership to reclaim his Scotland slot.

The Gers boss said last week he was surprised to see the Ibrox skipper and a number of the club's other players left out of Gordon Strachan's squad for this month's friendly double-header with the Czech Republic and Denmark.

While the likes of on-form midfielder Jason Holt - who has netted 10 goals in 34 appearances for Rangers this season - was also overlooked, the likes of Celtic youngster Kieran Tierney and Hibernian midfielder John McGinn did receive call-ups.

That angered the Light Blues faithful, especially with their side currently 17 points clear of McGinn's Leith outfit in the Championship.

But Warburton conceded his men may only get their invite once they are back operating in the top flight.

"It's really important we respect Gordon's decision," he insisted. "He's the national manager and we absolutely respect him.

"All we can do is give our honest opinion.

"There is a healthy gap at the top of the Championship and that is down to the players and the level of consistency and quality they've shown throughout the season.

"So I have no doubt the likes of Lee Wallace and a number of others could make the step up.

"If it takes going up to the Premiership to do that, then so be it but I have no doubts about their ability.

"Lee has been first class. He's club captain and has been outstanding for us. Can he perform at international level? My opinion is very clear on that one.

"It's important that Lee knows what we think of him and his level of performance, so we always feedback to him.

"From a manager's point of view, I'm just delighted the players are here with me during the international break."

For now, though, Warburton hopes domestic concerns will more than captivate his players as they chase a trophy treble.

Gers start a huge month that could prove vital to their hopes of landing the Championship title as well as the William Hill Scottish Cup and Petrofac Training Cup when they travel to Falkirk on Friday night.

The Englishman said: "You've got to enjoy it. If you can't enjoy this sort of thing, don't play football.

"There are good times and tough times. We're in a good place right now so you have to enjoy it.

"But we've not won anything yet. I want the guys to get their rewards. They have worked so hard from the first day of pre-season.

"This is a magnificent training ground and when you walk in, you see all the pictures on the wall of previous teams and their successes.

"I want this team to get their picture on the wall.

"Whatever job you are in, when you work hard you want to take something out of it. The guys have adapted to the new demands here and we couldn't ask for more, so I'm keen they get to the end of the season, get their rewards and then kick on."

Rangers have confirmed the March 26 clash against Queen of the South will go ahead as planned, despite Warburton having the right to call it off as a result of international call-ups.

Barrie McKay and Billy King have been named in Ricky Sbragia's Scotland Under-21 group and goalkeeper Robby McCrorie is in the Under-19s squad for their upcoming fixtures.

But Warburton said: "We were desperate to get the game on because a lot of the fans have booked flights, ferries and hotels and we're very aware of the expense involved.

"We run a very tight squad so it was a tight call for us. We'll be without certain players. A number of young players who have been on the bench will be away with the Under-17s and Under-19s.

"We're light on numbers but we'll deal with it."

Meanwhile, Warburton confirmed that third-choice goalkeeper Maciej Gostomski has been released by the club.

The former Lech Poznan stopper signed a six-month deal in January but has been allowed to return to Poland to deal with a family-related "personal issue".