Incredulous Brian Laudrup has delivered a scathing verdict on Rangers' summer transfer business.
The Ibrox legend is baffled by the lack of impact from new signings after only one - Antonio Colak - featured in starting teams to face Napoli and Dundee United over the past week. Giovanni van Bronckhorst left Rabbi Matondo out entirely for Saturday's 2-1 Premiership win over the Tangerines at Ibrox and Laudrup admits he found that "extraordinary".
The Dane reckons Van Bronckhorst may have already decided the Wales international is not the answer to a long-time problem position on the right flank and has wider concerns over the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz and Ben Davies, who have barely been seen so far. He wrote in his Scottish Daily Mail column: "It's been debated a fair bit recently but, I mean, what is going on there? There are a lot of strange things happening. This Rangers squad was infused with fresh blood during the close season but it's the old guard who are still trying to do the business.
"Against Napoli, it was basically a Steven Gerrard line-up. Then, on Saturday, only Antonio Colak came into the side from the recent arrivals. Rabbi Matondo didn't even make the 20-man squad, which I find extraordinary. The winger didn't seem to be ill or injured.
"After the United match, Van Bronckhorst spoke of how he simply had to cut his numbers from the European match and so Matondo missed out. I had high hopes for the Welshman based on what he did in Belgium during his time with Cercle Brugge last season. But he's only made two starts in the Premiership and played just over 200 minutes of football.
"Obviously, I don't see him on a daily basis. I don't know how he is training or what his attitude has been like. But to not even make the bench for a run-of-the-mill league match is a very concerning state of affairs."
Laudrup reckons there are also questions to answer on Davies and Yilmaz, and admits he's been left wondering just how much control Van Bronckhorst had over the club's summer business.
He continued: "Current evidence suggests Van Bronckhorst doesn't regard Matondo as the answer and it's very frustrating for supporters. That isn't the only headscratcher. Centre-back Ben Davies admittedly had some earlier fitness issues, but he is still on the bench.
"So, too, is Ridvan Yilmaz. Was he signed as one for the future? Is he simply not ready to be playing for Rangers yet? Given his background at Besiktas and the experience gained there, I find it puzzling he's made such little impact since arriving in a deal that looked like delivering a real major signing.
"Tillman made a great impression early on but also seems to have dropped out of things over the past couple of games. Buying so many players and then not using them raises some obvious questions. Have the club simply scouted poorly in some instances?
"Or did Van Bronckhorst, despite his positive words about the window, not get what he actually wanted? Did he have full control over who came in? Through his actions, the Ibrox manager is telling these players they are either not good enough or not ready enough.
"He feels the guys signed before he took over are the best equipped to get him the results he needs. For the newcomers not being used, it must be a difficult circumstance. Some of them have moved to a new country as well as a new club. Getting effective contributions from more of them is vital if Rangers are to gain meaningful consistency and apply real pressure to Celtic at the top of the table.
"There are nine games in October. It's a huge month with big matches in the Premiership, the Champions League and the League Cup. You need a fully functioning squad to cope. If you don't get these new players integrated and give them confidence, it can become a massive problem later in the season.
"That's the worry. And the longer it goes on, the more difficult it becomes. If a player can't get on the pitch or even the bench at home against a Dundee United team who are bottom of the league then when will they?"
