Gers ‘talent quest will go worldwide’

PEDRO CAIXINHA insists he will search far and wide for players to bolster his Rangers ranks this summer as he prepares for his first full campaign at Ibrox.

The Portuguese is continuing to assess his squad after replacing Mark Warburton at the helm and will be given a budget to wheel and deal during the close season.

Rangers could have just four weeks of a break if they reach the Scottish Cup Final and clinch a return to the Europa League this term.

The quick turnaround would leave Caixinha with little time to shape his squad but the Ibrox boss is already putting his plans in place.

He said: “I think football is worldwide. When I worked in Mexico they were a little wary of foreigners because it was about their culture.

“But, for me, in football you don’t have ages, you don’t have ID, you don’t have a name and you don’t have a nationality.

“You only have players who either fit or don’t fit into a massive club like Rangers.

“If I found Scottish players who can do this I would definitely go for them. But this is not a question of nationality.

“I didn’t say I would look at Scottish players in Scotland but Scottish players in the UK.

“One of the things I do is, after watching a player in four or five games, if we find him interesting then I put him in our database.

“One guy, for example, could be an interesting midfield player and he could fill a gap in my squad regarding the way I see the game and my needs for that position.

“So he goes into the database and, one day when I am looking for that kind of player, I know where to go to find them.

“Then I can say: ‘This one is my first option, this one is my second choice’ and so on.”