Graeme Murty: Rangers players Greg Docherty and Ryan Jack can take Scott Brown's place in the Scotland side

Meanwhile, Jack, who is out injured until the end of the season, excelled in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign and made his debut for his country, albeit in his former position at right back, in the friendly against the Netherlands at Pittodrie back in November.

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Murty, himself a former Scotland internationalist, believes both men are capable of playing for the national team in the future now that Brown, the Celtic captain, has decided to concentrate on his club career.

Asked if Docherty and Jack should harbour aspirations to play for Scotland in the future as he looked ahead to the Ladbrokes Premiership game against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park tonight, he said: “Absolutely. I said that when we first signed him.

“Historically, Rangers central midfield players have played for Scotland. That’s the level he needs to be looking at and aspire to be at. I have not seen anything in the young man’s attitude or ability to think anything different.

‘It is something he should be aiming for and, knowing Greg, he will be hungry to get as far as he possibly can.”

Murty added: “Now Scott has gone there is a space in the middle of the pitch where Ryan is more naturally inclined to play. That would fit him quite well.

“But we have to make sure we get him back fit. Then he has to thrust himself, as Greg does, in front of the manager’s eye-line to get his attention. A new manager has come in and there are spots up for grabs. I know this is a cliché, but it’s a blank canvas.”

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Murty, though, revealed that Rangers may not be keen to let certain players travel with Scotland to South America at the end of the season for the controversial friendlies with Peru and Mexico.

The Glasgow club, who are three points clear of Aberdeen in second place in the Ladbrokes Prem-iership table following their weekend win, should have Europa League qualifiers to play at the end of June and start of July, less than a month after the Mexico match.

Murty, who won the Kirin Cup in Japan back in 2006, believes many of his players would benefit from being involved in the games if they are selected, but will assess whether they should travel on an individual basis.

“I loved going to Japan,” he said. “It was a fantastic, life-affirming experience. It was really good to away with a Scotland group and play some difficult games in different conditions. I’m really thankful football gave me the opportunity to experience that.

“Now I am on the other side of it. I think we need to have conversations and make sure, first and foremost, that the players are protected. We need to have ongoing discourse to make sure their physiological needs and wants are met.

“But I’m certain that, as long as those are outlined, the national team has the skills and mindset necessary to fulfil both their needs as a national team and our needs as a club side.

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“But those dates, whatever they may be, will be dependent on what we do between now and the end of the season. We have to make sure we continue to push on to make that conversation even relevant.

“Without wanting to look outside our group, when you look at the number of games Kieran Tierney could play by the end of the season you can see why Celtic might not want him to travel.

“We have got people with different physiological needs and people at different stages of their de-velopment as well. We have younger and more senior players and it has to be done on a player by player basis.”

Meanwhile, Murty has predicted the Ladbrokes Premiership title race could go right down to the end of the season despite defending champions Celtic restoring their nine point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over third-placed Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday.

“I thought the game was the league leaders keeping one of their closest opponents at arms length and doing it well,” he said. “It was not an easy watch. I found it difficult to watch.

“I’m probably like the majority of football fans around the world - shouting at the TV, shouting at the referee and trying to tone my language down. But it doesn’t really change what we do.

“You are ultimately going to be judged right at the end. You deserve to finish where we finish. We can’t look at it and write ourselves off or say we are right in it. What we have to make sure is that we make each game meaningful and we have a very meaningful game at St Johnstone.

“We have to go and perform. It will difficult .We need to take care of our own business and if there is an opportunity later in the season to get some silverware make sure we are in the right shape physically and mentally and ready to grasp the opportunities.”