RANGERS midfielder Andy Halliday insists that Rangers are aiming to win the Premiership title next season and welcomes competition for his place from Joey Barton.
The 24-year-old was a key player in Mark Warburton's squad last season, scoring 10 goals in 48 appearances as they lifted the Championship title and the Petrofac Cup.
Seven new signings, including Barton and fellow midfielders Niko Kranjcar, Matt Crooks, Jordan Rossiter and Josh Windass, have joined the Gers this summer and Halliday believes the increased strength in depth can help them triumph in the top-flight.
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He said to the Rangers website: “It’s going to be a tough season, but we are more than ready. It’s what it’s all about and it’s what it means to be a Rangers player.
“Our squad is going to be more capable for these tough games than it was last year, and we’ve brought in some good additions so far.
“When you look at that Celtic game and the Scottish Cup Final, out of a possible seven players we only had five on the bench, with one being a goalkeeper and the other being a 17 year-old.
“Our squad was light – which is the way we want it to be – but we need to have 20 to 22 players that are more than ready and more than capable, and we need to try and stay away from as many injuries as we can.
“We have been quite fortunate with that – we lost Waggy for a period last year and lost Harry, but other than that we managed to keep most of the squad intact and if we do that this year we’ll certainly have a great chance.
“Everyone is going to need to stand up and be counted this year, and there is no reason why we can’t win the title.”
Halliday explained that the arrival of Barton will be welcomed by the squad, but he has no plans of handing over his starting spot.
He said: “He’s been a big signing, but so have all of our signings. I know Lukas Jutkiewicz really well who was with him at Burnley last year, and he speaks really highly of him and says he’s a great guy and, first and foremost, is a great player to be adding to the squad.
“I am looking forward to playing with him, and we have a number of midfielders so the competition for places is healthy, but that’s what you have got to expect at a club like Rangers.
“I welcome all the new signings, but they have to take the jersey from me as I certainly don’t want to budge and I’ll be doing everything I can to keep hold of it.”
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