What Gio van Bronckhorst told Rangers players after Ajax as boss recalls Zidane and his own baptism of fire

Deflated Gio van Bronckhorst admits ragged Rangers were given a brutal demonstration of the levels required in the Champions League after they were ripped apart by his classy compatriots.

However, the gutted gaffer argued it would cost Gers “hundreds of millions” to build a team capable of going toe-to-toe with the European elite as he again defended Rangers reluctance to spend before last week’s transfer deadline. Awesome Ajax dished out the Light Blues’ second four-goal pasting in the space of five days as the Ibrox side endured a nightmare return to UEFA’s top tournament.

And the Rangers gaffer conceded his team - still smarting from their Old Firm humiliation - better get up to speed quick or their could be further misery ahead. Van Bronckhorst - whose side welcome Italian big guns Napoli to Ibrox next week before October’s battle of Britain double-header with Liverpool - said: “I’m very disappointed.

“We knew the Champions League would be a high level and I think the level we faced in Ajax showed throughout the game with how good and how strong they are. We have to be 100 per cent to be ready for the game.

“You saw that everything goes quicker in the Champions League. The pressure we get, the thinking on the ball, the ball control, they speed of passing. It’s all from a really high level.

“In the first half especially, we couldn’t reach that level and struggled. Every mistake you make on the pitch will be punished by a team like Ajax. The performance wasn’t good.

“The players are committed. They want to play the way we want. They want to fight, they want to work hard.

“But against an opponent like Ajax when you’re not organised in the way you should be, it’s going to be really tough. I think the level we’re