Rangers have been cautious over making wholesale changes to the successful squad built by Steven Gerrard but alterations 'are going to be needed soon' at Ibrox, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Gerrard walked away from Glasgow 10 months ago in order to take over at Premier League side Aston Villa, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst was appointed as his successor.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

GiveMeSport The Verdict

How have Rangers started the season?

Rangers went into the international break sitting two points adrift of arch-rivals Celtic, who are currently leading the way in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers closed the gap on their neighbours by recording a 2-1 victory over Dundee United last time out, but there have been some worrying results since the campaign got underway.

Rangers suffered a harrowing 4-0 defeat in the first Old Firm derby of the season against Celtic earlier this month.

Van Bronckhorst would have been seeking a response when his side travelled to his homeland to face Ajax in their Champions League group stage opener a matter of days later, but the Gers were put to the sword by the reigning Eredivisie champions and conceded four unanswered goals once again.

Those two results led to speculation over van Bronckhorst's future in the Ibrox dugout, but the Rangers hierarchy have opted to stick with the 47-year-old.

What has Dean Jones said about the situation?

Jones believes Rangers are in a tough position as they have not been wanting to dismantle the side Gerrard largely put together during his reign and led to a first Scottish Premiership title in a decade.

However, the journalist feels van Bronckhorst and the hierarchy understand alterations need to be made to the squad if they want to progress.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "It’s a difficult situation because Rangers built something under Gerrard and would have been wary of ripping it apart initially.

"I can understand why they are in this position, but I’m sure they now realise some changes are going to be needed soon."

Who could leave Rangers in the coming months?

The summer of 2023 could offer Rangers the ideal opportunity to freshen up the squad as 10 players - including Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack - will see their respective contracts expire.

James Sands' 18-month loan from New York City FC will also come to an end, although the Gers have an option to make the switch permanent, while the Glasgow giants could do the same when Malik Tillman's temporary switch from Bayern Munich expires.

Meanwhile, it is understood that van Bronckhorst is willing to offload Glen Kamara when the transfer window reopens in January after a move to Nice collapsed earlier this month.