Philippe Clement insists Rangers would be Ligue 1 contenders but won't enjoy view from the summit in Scotland

Philippe Clement has leapt to the defence of Scottish football as the Ibrox boss insisted both Rangers and Celtic are good enough to hold their own against the best in France.

The Light Blues gaffer will aim to take his team to the top of the Premiership as they host a Ross County side who will have interim boss Don Cowie in charge following Derek Adams’ resignation last week. Adams’s short-lived return to Dingwall imploded spectacularly inside 12 games, beginning with a bizarre meltdown at Dens Park that saw him berate the “shocking” standard of the Premiership.

The 48-year-old claimed he’d left behind a Morecambe side in England’s League One that were “100 times better” than the County side he inherited from Malky McKay. But Clement has been left with a far more positive view of the level he’s found in Scotland since taking on the Gers job back in October.

The big Belgian spent 18 months managing Monaco and saw enough in that time to be convinced the Old Firm have the capabilities to compete with Ligue 1’s top teams. He said: “I am positive about Scottish football.

“I think the atmosphere is amazing. Amazing everywhere we go. There is a real football culture here.

“There is a lot of passion around football, not only on game days, but also outside of that. So that is a really big strength. And I am positive about Scottish football.

“There is not a big, big difference between here and the French league for example. I mean in the level of football.

“I think with Rangers and with Celtic, we could compete to be the top in the French league — but with less budget, for sure. France have maybe more teams right at the soup top there.

“You don’t have a team like PSG here in this league. But you always need to see what the