Philippe Clement admitted he’s got a bigger job on his hands at Ibrox than he first thought.
The big Belgian is preparing for yet another Rangers rebuild after failing to stop Celtic landing a 12th title in the last 13 years. Clement always knew some significant refurbishment work was required this summer, with six players out of contract and several loan signings due to leave too. But he admits the scale of the injury crisis he’s encountered this season means he’s going to have to go even further with his plans to overhaul things at Ibrox on and off the park.
He said: “There are several things I want to change but we are in talks about that in the club. I think for the moment I am doing too much in different [areas] so it needs to be better delegated in the club.
“Is that a bigger overhaul than I expected when I first walked through the door? Yes. Some things have not surprised me because the club has been honest about a lot of things but the injury issue has been bigger than I expected.”
Asked if he felt he could get more out of the current list of absentees or if he felt new signings were the only way to solve the injury issue, the big Belgian said: "It will be a combination of the two I think.”
Clement has already started work on next season’s squad - and hopes to have his new signings in the door well before they kick-off their Champions League qualifying bid in August. He said: “Every manager wants everybody in tomorrow. Maybe not tomorrow, let’s say in four weeks for the first day of training. Yeah, we want that.
“I know our recruitment department are working towards that day and night but you can have ideas but it is never the reality because it is not only about you. It is about other clubs, making deals with
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Philippe Clement