Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst will perhaps think ‘he should have’ brought in an additional centre-back and goalkeeper last summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Glasgow giants have endured a slightly underwhelming start to the current campaign, with their issues at the back being brutally exposed on several occasions.

What is the latest news involving Rangers?

Van Bronckhorst’s charges may only be two points behind league leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table, but a humiliating 4-0 defeat in the first Old Firm derby of the season highlighted the gap in quality.

That result preceded another 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Ajax and a disappointing 3-0 loss at home to Napoli in Rangers’ opening two Champions League Group A encounters.

Those results means that the Gers have leaked 20 goals in their opening 14 games of the season across all competitions, a tally that will be concerning to Van Bronckhorst as he attempts to guide his side to silverware.

In the previous transfer window, Rangers saw central defenders Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun, Nikola Katic and Jack Simpson all depart the club.

John Souttar and Ben Davies replaced the quartet, but the pair have been limited to just one start apiece due to injury issues, meaning the impressive Bassey and Balogun have been sorely missed at the heart of defence.

What has O’Rourke said about Rangers?

O’Rourke told GiveMeSport: “I'm sure most managers would look at the window, you're not going to land all your top targets, that's never going to happen, it just doesn't happen that way in football.

“And I'm sure Van Bronckhorst thinks he should have maybe brought in another new central defender after losing a few with the likes of Leon Balogun leaving in the summer.

“Maybe not bringing in another central defender was a mistake as well as perhaps a goalkeeper because (Jon) McLaughlin has struggled in some games this season as well, while (Alan) McGregor is not getting any younger.”

Can Rangers turn their form around?

Rangers face a packed October fixture schedule where they're set to come up against Liverpool twice in the Champions League as well as making the trip to Italy to take on an in-form Napoli side.

They also face tough tasks domestically against the likes of Hearts and Aberdeen in what could be a pivotal month for their season and Van Bronckhorst’s tenure as a whole.

And getting Souttar and Davies back fully fit and deciding whether to start McLaughlin or McGregor between the sticks could have a huge part to play in Rangers’ results going forwards.

Van Bronckhorst will surely back himself to turn things around at Ibrox, though, and the club’s supporters will be hoping their fortunes improve sooner rather than later.