DAVE King, the Rangers chairman, said last night that Celtic aren't as far ahead of the Ibrox side as they might have been considering the club's four-year exile from the Scottish top flight and he expects Pedro Caixinha to mount a challenge for the Ladbrokes Premiership title.

The small matter of 39 points separated Rangers from Celtic's invincible treble winners last season but King feels things could have been worse.

With six new signings this close season, and at least two more in the pipeline, the Ibrox chairman has told them to expect a run for their money this season.

"In footballing terms, I don’t think Celtic are as far ahead as they could have been – certainly with our new signings," said King.

"Given that we were in the wilderness for four years I don’t think that Celtic did as much in that four years as they could have done. We are clearly behind them squad-wise but I really would expect to give them a run."

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