Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers finished third in the Premiership last season.
Alex McLeish has told Sky Sports that he does not believe Rangers will finish first or second in the Scottish Premiership next season.
The Gers go into the new campaign hoping to not only bridge the gap between themselves and Celtic – who finished 39 points ahead of them last term – but also finish ahead of Aberdeen.
Rangers finished third behind Aberdeen and the Hoops last time around but, despite signing nine new players, their shock Europa League exit to Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn this week has prompted suggestions that they won’t improve on last season.
That is certainly the view of ex-Ibrox boss McLeish, who claimed to Sky Sports that it is “difficult” to see his old side finishing better than third again next time around.
He said: “The most important thing now is that they take the Premiership on all fronts. I don’t think they can usurp Celtic this season, but they should be aiming to get above Aberdeen.
“But when I see the business that Derek McInnes is doing again, it’s difficult to see Rangers finishing second again.”
It is far too early in the day to make long-term estimates about where Rangers will finish.
Sure, they might struggle to usurp the Bhoys and even Aberdeen. Then again, Pedro Caixinha has signed nine players and if they gel then the Gers could well be a much bigger problem than is currently expected of them following their defeat in Luxembourg.
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