LEE WALLACE, the Rangers captain, hopes to finish his career at Ibrox after putting pen-to-paper on a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2019.

The defender was an integral part of Mark Warburton’s side last season as Rangers clinched the Championship title and won the Petrofac Training Cup, but the campaign would end on a disappointing note as Hibernian denied them a unique Treble by winning the Scottish Cup at Hampden.

Rangers returned to training on Saturday as Warburton steps up his preparations for the new campaign and the Englishman has been given another major boost with the news that his captain has now committed his future to the club for a further three years. If Wallace has his way, it will not be the last contract he signs at Ibrox.

“There was absolutely never a doubt over what I want to do for the rest of my career,” he told rangers.co.uk. “It was in the club’s hands and my hands last season to make sure I did what I could to remain a part of the club I love.

“I would probably say last year was the best of my professional career, and I think there are a few boys in the changing room that could say the same.

“That’s down to the manager and Davie [Weir] and what they have brought on and off the pitch. Being handed the captaincy was a nerving moment, but the manager has always kept me right, as has Davie who is the epitome of what a Rangers captain should be.

“It was easy enough for me once I got going, and it was a responsibility I have really enjoyed. Having said that, that year has gone by and we are now looking forward to a new season where things are going to be stepped up both in terms of the league we are going to be playing in and also the opposition.

“But certainly we are going to step up how we play and how we are going to make an assault on this new league.”

Having seen Warburton add five players to his squad already this summer, Wallace could soon be joined at Ibrox by another new recruit as Niko Kranjcar prepares to put the finishing touches to his move from New York Cosmos. The Croatian is expected in Glasgow tomorrow for a medical and his poised to sign a two-year deal with Rangers.

A move for Adrian Mariappa, the former Watford, Reading and Crystal Palace defender, is also still an option for Warburton this summer. The Jamaican international met with Weir and Head of Recruitment Frank McParland over the weekend and is considering his options following his departure from Selhurst Park.

Meanwhile, Rangers have reached an agreement with Accrington Stanley for Matt Crooks and Josh Windass after the pair were refused permission to train with Warburton’s side at the weekend.

A statement from the League Two club read: “Accrington Stanley and Rangers have agreed compensation terms for the move of Matt Crooks and Josh Windass to Ibrox.

“The pair are now released from their obligations with the Reds and free to head north of the border to train with their new club.”