Champions League a ‘bonus’

DAVE KING admits Champions League qualification would be a bonus for Rangers next season as Steven Gerrard prepares for his first crack at Europe’s premier club competition.

Gerrard has enjoyed significant success in the Europa League during his three terms at Ibrox and the progress on the park has been crucial off it as Rangers have reaped the financial rewards of their achievements on the continent.

A place in the Champions League group stage would be transformative for Rangers going forward but King won’t overemphasise the tournament as he savours a 55th league title this term. King said: “If you ask me at the moment, if we went into the

Champions League and finished third… No matter what the most optimistic outlook on the group stage is, we will be unseeded and I think at this stage that if we could go into that and finish third and continue in the Europa League after that, I think that would be an extremely successful first campaign back in the Champions League.

“For me, personally, winning the league is getting back. The Champions League is the Champions League. There are things that affect how we do there. You could be in a qualifying stage and end up against a club like Ajax, for example, and you don’t make it. To me, the Champions League is a bonus.”

JOHN Hartson has backed either Eddie Howe or Mark Hughes to take the Celtic job on a permanent basis.

Howe has been one of the favourites since Neil Lennon left the club last month while Hartson, who worked under Hughes with the Welsh national side, expects that his attention to detail also makes him a credible candidate.