Rangers will finish the season trophy-less following Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic at Hampden Park.
The Light Blues fans were again left frustrated after coming up short against their Old Firm rivals and Gers boss Michael Beale admitted there will be “the biggest rebuild this club has seen in a number of years”.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the out-of-contract players who could move on.
Alfredo Morelos
Beale has intimated that the Colombia striker will not be at Ibrox next season and, after another lacklustre display against Celtic, few Gers fans would complain. The 26-year-old, who signed from HJK in 2017, was once considered to be a big-money asset but the Ibrox club will see him will walk away as a free agent.
Allan McGregor
The 41-year-old former Scotland international has undoubtedly been of the best keepers in Rangers’ history. However, Beale has hinted that his second spell at the Govan club is at an end. Robby McCrorie will get a chance to show his worth before the end of the season but Rangers may yet have to add a first-choice goalkeeper to their summer shopping list.
Ryan Kent
When the 26-year-old signed from Liverpool in 2009 for a reported initial fee of £6.5million following a loan spell, it was regarded as a shrewd investment financially as well as in terms of improving the team. Kent became a fans’ favourite but his star has waned. Replaced at half-time at Hampden on Sunday after offering next to nothing, he has suffered a backlash of criticism from supporters who have run out of patience. It remains to be seen if Beale is of the same mind.
Ryan Jack
Beale said in March: “Ryan is certainly a player I want to work with moving forward here at the club.” But after Sunday’s defeat he said: “If you don’t hear anything and contracts are running out, it probably gives you a good indication there’s change in the air.” Jack is out again through injury. A talented player when fit but the former QPR boss may consider the notion that the best ability is availability.
Filip Helander
The luckless 30-year-old defender, who joined from Bologna in 2019, has been out for over a year with a foot injury which is still to be sorted. It is highly unlikely that Beale will offer him an extension to his contract, which ends this summer.
Scott Arfield
The popular 34-year-old midfielder has recently been consigned to mainly cameo appearances and may have run out of time as a Rangers player. Beale said last month that everyone who played in the 5-2 win over St Mirren – “aside from maybe Allan (McGregor) and Alfredo (Morelos)” – would be a Rangers player next season. Arfield came on as substitute.
Steven Davis
The hugely respected 38-year-old midfielder has not played since December 15 due to a knee injury and is likely to move on.
Malik Tillman
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has had a fruitful spell at Ibrox on loan from Bayern Munich, albeit the critics will say he has not produced against Celtic. Rangers have first option on the United States international but, at a reported fee of £5m, is it the best use of Beale’s limited budget? One of the big calls the Light Blues boss will have to make.
De Jong insists confidence will improve following Netherlands return
Frenkie de Jong believes his confidence will improve with more playing time after returning to the Netherlands starting line-up for the first time in over a year.
De Jong received widespread praise for his return to the national side in their 4-0 victory over Hungary as they confirmed a Nations League quarter-final spot on Saturday.
The midfielder returned for Barcelona in October after a six-month absence due to an ankle injury, while his last appearance for the Dutch national team came against the Republic of Ireland in September 2023.
He missed 18 matches for the Netherlands during that period, including their Euro 2024 campaign in which they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by England.
Against Hungary, De Jong played 68 minutes and made more passes in the final third than anyone else on the pitch (31), while he also made 12 final third entries, the second-most behind team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke (17).
"I still need some time to really get into top form", said De Jong. "After an injury, I usually felt I would get back into form quickly, now after this injury that is really different.
"I need to gain back my confidence in doing certain things on the pitch. I knew it would be this way and so people are not worried. It should improve from now onwards.
"I'm happy to be back! I need games, I need rhythm, and then my good form will return. I will not start the next game, but I will stay with the national team."
Ronald Koeman was also delighted with the influence De Jong had on the side after such a long absence and is confident he can help the team going forward.
"You saw his qualities in a number of moments", said Koeman. "He helped us to create a lot more chances."
Van Dijk hails Hungary 'strength' for playing on after coach collapse
Virgil van Dijk saluted Hungary for playing on after assistant coach Adam Szalai appeared to suffer a fit during their Nations League clash.
Play was suspended for 13 minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA while Szalai was treated pitchside, with staff and substitutes forming a protective barrier around him.
The 36-year-old was taken to Amsterdam Hospital, where he later revealed he was "doing well" on his social media channels.
Although Hungary agreed to play on, the Netherlands ran out comfortable 4-0 winners to book their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo were on target from the penalty spot during the first half, while goals from Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners after the break saw the Oranje secure second place in Group A3.
And Van Dijk paid tribute to his side's opponents.
"That was quite a shock, of course," he told NOS. "You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. That is quite scary. But thankfully, at a certain point, it became clear that he was stable. I hope he is doing well and that he recovers quickly.
"They had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing. I think it shows a lot of strength that they did carry on. I have a lot of respect for that."
On his side's performance, Van Dijk added: "The pitch was very fast, but that's no excuse. It was sloppy.
"In the end, we won deservedly and that's the most important thing. We go to the quarter-finals, we win, we keep a clean sheet."
Nagelsmann impressed after biggest win of Germany tenure
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was impressed by his team after they inflicted a heavy 7-0 defeat on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League.
The thumping win in Freiburg secured top spot for the Germans in Group A3, with Nagelsmann's side now five points clear of second-placed Netherlands with one game to go.
Florian Wirtz and Tim Kleindienst netted two each, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane were also on target in the victory that was Germany's biggest win since Nagelsmann took charge in September 2023.
The former Bayern Munich manager, who replaced Hansi Flick, failed to take hosts Germany past the quarter-finals in the summer's Euros, but his side now have a chance of securing their first silverware under the 37-year-old.
"We have no injuries from the game and our counter-pressing was extraordinarily good," Nagelsmann said after the game.
"And then to score seven goals against an opponent sitting so deep is something.
"We wanted to win possession and then quickly play the ball forward, be quick in transition and find those runs, something we did not do often enough at the Euros [in June]. We did it well," he said.
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