Warburton refuses to panic

Rangers boss Mark Warburton believes Celtic have taken a major step forward on behalf of Scottish football – but he is not fretting about their potential £30 million Champions League windfall.

Celtic’s success will earn the rest of the Ladbrokes Premiership teams – including the Ibrox side – a £250,000 Uefa bonus as well as a vital shot in the arm for Scotland’s flagging coefficient.

But it will also flood the Parkhead coffers with millions of pounds in TV cash and prize money.

What is a boost for the nation’s European standing could also turn out to be a blow for Gers’ title hopes if Celtic are able to reinvest that jackpot into Brendan Rodgers’ playing squad.

However, the Gers boss is refusing to panic.

He said: “It’s a positive. It’s a Scottish club progressing to the Champions League group stages.

“It absolutely has to be a positive. It would be stupid to say anything other than that. But I can’t control it so I’m never going to worry about Aberdeen, Hearts, Celtic or anyone else.

“Nothing we can do here can control what happens away from us, so all we can focus on is what we can control.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton boss Martin Canning hopes the Uefa windfall will enable him to complete his summer transfer business.

“It’s a massive amount of money,” Canning said.

“You want to see every Scottish club doing well in Europe and it’s great that Celtic can get to that level. The league gets publicised a bit more as well and some of that money filters through to other teams in the league.”