Rangers currently sit ahead of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but the Hoops have a game in hand.
James McFadden has told Sky Sports that Steven Gerrard must strengthen his Rangers side in the January transfer window if the Gers are to have any chance of staying afloat with Old Firm rivals Celtic.
The Gers’ 2-1 win over Hearts on Sunday afternoon at Tynecastle saw them leapfrog Celtic into first place in the Scottish Premiership, though Celtic sit just one point behind in second place with a game in hand.
Celtic have an extra game after they beat Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final instead of playing in the league over the weekend, with Ryan Christie scoring the only goal of the game against his old side.
Scotland assistant manager McFadden reckons Rangers are lacking the consistency to keep up with Brendan Rodgers’ side, though he has been impressed by how much the Gers have improved under Steven Gerrard.
“Their [Rangers’] progression has been excellent. I think Steven Gerrard has been excellent,” McFadden said. “At the start there were maybe mistakes that he made but he is young, he has learned from them and that is what I like.
“He has brought a level of performance and standard to the club that is there for all to see. They are winning games, doing well and potentially could maybe challenge Celtic.
“But I think they are going to fall short because they need to bring that consistency level. They will need to strengthen in January as well but it is a big month for both sides.”
Gerrard brought 15 new players to Ibrox in the summer, with the likes of Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson, Scott Arfield and Ryan Kent arguably being the best signings so far.
Rangers play host to Aberdeen on Wednesday night at Ibrox as they try to exact revenge on Derek McInnes’ side, who beat them in the League Cup semi-final to take on Celtic on Sunday. Meanwhile, Celtic travel to Motherwell.
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