Former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has suggested that the Glasgow giants can hit back from their embarrassing elimination from the Europa League.
On Tuesday night, Rangers were defeated by Luxembourg representatives Progres Niederkorn to exit the competition in the first qualifying round, and Barton has acknowledged that it could be regarded as one of the worst results in British footballing history.
However, Barton - who briefly represented the club in 2016 - has claimed that everyone associated with Rangers should take the positives from having a lighter schedule.
The 34-year-old told talkSPORT: "The result last night does slightly change the trajectory of Rangers, certainly in respects of catching back up with Celtic and maybe overthrowing them. You can't get away from it, it is a terrible result. It is arguably the worst result in British footballing history in Europe. But it shouldn't change the direction of the football club.
"The reality of it is Rangers were never going to win the Europa League. If Rangers are going to get closer to Celtic and Aberdeen this year, then they don't really need to be in the Europa League on a Thursday night. If Rangers finish above Celtic this season, no one will care about what happened in the Europa League."
Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has described their elimination as a "once in a lifetime" result.
Darren Plant
