Sam Stone

Wed 22 February 2023 7:10, UK

Tam McManus “couldn’t believe” Rangers’ starting eleven from their previous League Cup final clash against Celtic in 2019.

Michael Beale’s side take on The Hoops on Sunday afternoon (26 February) as the former QPR boss looks to land the first piece of silverware since returning to Ibrox.

However, McManus was less than impressed after an image of the Light Blues’ 2019 cup final starting eleven was shared on the PLZ Football Show on Tuesday evening.

“Couldn’t believe this one,” said McManus (personal Twitter account, 21 February)

“How many players have Rangers signed since then? Basically, be around the same team on Sunday bar obviously Aribo sold/Helander injured.

“Tells you the players that have been brought in, on the whole, are not as good as the ones already in the building.”

Concerning

The lack of change in the starting eleven’s is slightly concerning and it displays the lack of quality transfer business which was done by Giovanni van Bronckhorst during his time at Ibrox. Beale has had one window at the club and has already added two quality additions in Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin.

It will be interesting to see if either of them starts on Sunday. Raskin has been mightily impressive since his move from Standard Liege and would certainly add quality to Beale’s midfield. However, against The Hoops, the Light Blues’ boss could well be inclined to go with a tried and tested pairing which would give Rangers the physical edge.

Hopefully, over the course of the summer, the Gers’ starting eleven will evolve yet again. Swansea City attacker Morgan Whittaker was a target during the January window and could well be targetted again when the summer window opens.

This time next year, there should be a number of new faces donning the famous blue jersey, as Beale looks to turn the Gers into Scotland’s dominant force once again.

In other Rangers news, the club are in line for a multi-million windfall from the Premier League after a £10m Auchenhowie milestone was reached.