Caixinha stands by ‘best squad’ claim

Pedro Caixinha has repeated his claim he is managing the best squad in Scotland, and says nothing will change his mind.

The new Gers boss left himself open to ridicule in March when he declared at his Ibrox unveiling his belief that he had inherited the strongest group of players in the country.

Those words came back to bite the Portuguese coach as the Light Blues limped through the final weeks of the season to finish in third place, 39 points behind Celtic.

Defeat to Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn in his newlook line-up’s first public outing this term did little to suggest Rangers will be any closer to toppling their Old Firm rivals.

But Caixinha is standing by his bold declaration and believes that show of faith is necessary if Gers are to make strides this season.

Gers looked underdone as they tumbled out of the Europa League to their part-time opponents last month.

Caixinha admitted that shock defeat hurt his squad deeply.

But the former Santos Laguna coach believes last week’s friendly draw with Marseille and warmup victories over Watford and Sheffield Wednesday are clear signs the shoots of recovery are beginning to sprout.

Caixinha refused to discuss whether Jamie Walker would play a part in the future after claims from Hearts interim boss Jon Daly that continued transfer speculation surrounding the winger was beginning to affect his mental state.

But he did reveal forward Harry Forrester’s days at Ibrox are numbered.

Rob Kiernan has completed a switch to Southend United for an undisclosed fee, and Caixinha says Forrester is also on his way out.

Picture: SNS. Upbeat: Pedro Caixinha.