Honest Michael Beale admits the "uncertainty" in midfield has him looking at options in January.
The Rangers boss was speaking at his press conference ahead of Wednesday night's clash with Motherwell, as they look to make it four wins from four since he took over from Gio van Bronckhorst. He's focused on the here and now but he also has an eye on the future, and with Steven Davis out for the season and long-term uncertainty over the likes of Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara, he admits he'd be remiss in not looking at some reinforcements.
The boss also gave updates on injured stars Borna Barisic, John Souttar, Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence among others, as he hopes to have a fully fit squad available before too long. Meanwhile Adam Devine was in for more praise as the stand-in left-back was challenged to step up and take the right-back mantle from James Tavernier in the years ahead.
Here is every word the Ibrox boss had to say.
How much trust do you have in your backroom staff?
"The way we set up with the staff is everyone has a certain unit, in terms of the daily plan for each player and the direction of their career. For the defenders, Adam Devine is at a different stage of his career than Connor Goldson so they need certain handling. Neil Banfield takes care of the defenders, Colin the goalkeepers, Damien the midfielders and I do the forwards.
"It's exactly the same as the last time I was here with the staff. That means the staff will have individual conversations with those players over breakfast, lunch or dinner. We are here a lot and there are lots of meal times here during the week. We either have group workshops with, say, the whole back four or group work with the individuals.
"It's my job to sit above that and allow these people to get around and water the grass. They have my full trust. It's important that if they see things they get that information to the players. It's nice to have new eyes around me in the football club because I came back with a lot of preconceived feelings and thoughts and opinions from my previous spell.
"It's very handy to have the experience around me that are new. Maybe I have to explain how tough it is to go up to Pittodrie and they can be a bit freer in their thoughts and be a little bit different to myself."
How big a loss is Steven Davis?
"It's a huge blow. I've been devastated ever since it happened. Obviously, we realised straight away it didn't look like a good one but we had to let the swelling go down and let him have a scan then let Steven process the results of that scan.
"I believe in early January he will go and have an operation then we will sit and talk. The Christmas period is a good time for reflection anyway. We as a club have a plan for Steven anyway, moving forward he's someone we want to have in and around the club both as a player and a second career if he chose to go down that route.
"That was something that was already under discussion in the very first meeting I had with the club because I knew Steven had a lovely way of detaching himself from the game and seeing it as someone overlooking the game rather than a player who can only see it from his own eyes.
"I was very interested to know where Steven saw himself later in life. Having come in and seen him in the Leverkusen game and the second half of the Hibs game I thought Steven hadn't changed in the year I have been away.
"I thought he was as sharp as ever and playing at the same level so therefore that conversation I was holding in my back pocket. Only Steven will make a decision on his future. He has got to have the operation and see exactly what the surgeon says and what he feels around it. Then he'll decide what he wants to do next. Knowing Steven I think he will want to continue to play because he still can play."
Davis is a leader - do others now have to step up?
"He gives us something different. He's very assured and calm. I don't think we can replace Steven Davis and what he gives us. We will replace it in different ways but we won't replace it the same. It's a huge loss for me personally because it's a player I really trust in terms of what he sees and feels on the pitch.
"We lived that previously when he was someone I spoke to regularly. It's a real disappointment at a time when we have other injuries as well but if we focus on Steven I'm devastated for him. To play the number of national team games he has means he's been fit consistently for years and been able to go on every camp.
"He's not had anything like this before. The news came very sharp upon Christmas and we agreed that he will take his time with his family, enjoy Christmas and get the operation. From there we will see what the actual timing is. The plan right now is to have that operation with a view to returning."
Any other injury news?
"Roofe and Colak have trained so it's up to me if I select them or not. It's fair to say they are not 100 percent fit because they have been out for a while. In Kemar's case a lot longer than Antonio but they have trained the last two days which is pleasing. It's a case of whether I need them now or if I can top them up before a big January, a huge January.
"John Souttar isn't a million miles away either. We should see him by the back end of January which is great news. He is going great guns and is out on the grass now, although he's not training with the team yet. He's in a good place so I'm delighted with that. Allan McGregor is fine. He's just had the sniffles but he's fine now. We've had a few players off with it."
Is Borna Barisic back?
"Yes, he's been training. He arrived back yesterday. He trained today and looked in a great place. He's just had a big experience again getting to another semi-final in his first World Cup.
"He's come back in a really positive place. We are slowly but surely getting back to where we need to be. It's the biggest group of players that I have had since I returned in terms of training.
Will Steven Davis get another contract?
"All those things will be discussed. In terms of me, he was going to be a key player between now and the end of the season so I'm gutted we've lost him. I'm gutted for Steven more than myself. Obviously given the age he's at he will have a decision to make, I think that's fair to say, but it's his decision to make.
"Having seen him in the two games since I returned I think he had at least 18 months left at this level, certainly now with five subs. You don't need players to play 90 minutes anymore. You are going to see players playing later and I always said he had 27-year-old legs.
"I'm not going to back down on that at the moment. Let's see. The most important person is Steven so until we talk we will just support him through the operation and see where it takes us."
Are you looking for a new midfielder in January?
"We might have been looking anyway, to be honest. We’re looking to strengthen everywhere if I’m honest, but in midfield, there is a little bit of uncertainty, I think it’s fair to say. When you write down our midfield we have a couple of loan players, two or three out of contract at the end of the season.
"Glen Kamara seems to get linked with a new club every day as well. Midfield is an area we will look to strengthen moving forward."
Do you sense momentum building?
"I’m seeing more in training than I see in the games. I think sometimes in games the players realise that three points are important. I thought last week was a difficult one. Connor Goldson did fantastic to get through the two games, Ben Davies also came back in. With two long away trips I was just delighted to get out of Dingwall with the three points because it wasn’t a classic, was it?
"But we got out and we should have probably been a little bit more comfortable late on, then everyone’s feeling about the game is different. I’m seeing things in training that I am pleased with. Today is the best we’ve trained since I’ve come back so hopefully, that is a sign for the coming games."
Was your ‘look over your shoulder’ comment aimed at giving Adam Devine a boost?
"Adam is not a left-back, he’s played there. You always say to a young player you don’t know where you’re going to break through you’ve got to be ready and round yourself off. What I would say is he has done himself and the academy proud, he’s been outstanding. But his natural position is right-back, he’s shown he can do a job at left-back.
"Tav has fought off another very good young right-back in the past. Adam is a player for the future. You need Scottish players in the squad for European competition, we are a big Scottish club so we should have players coming out of our academy, we should drip-feed players into our squad and Adam has been the most pleasing thing since I’ve come back. There’s been an element of surprise because when I left he was a young boy and in the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen him become a man."
How pleasing is it to have a fit defence?
"You’ve got to be careful because when you play Hibs with no centre-backs you think ‘we’ll go with it’. You can’t just think with everyone back the results will be perfect, it never quite goes like that. I think for me it’s nice to have something in training that looks more like Rangers should look like and we can train and practice.
"Between the games, Connor Goldson and Ben Davies have had to really recover because they have been out. They look fine at the moment. We will be stronger as players come back because of the competition and a strong 11 on the park."
Do you have a decision to make in goals?
"Of course, you have the decision to make out of the two of them (Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin). Robby McCrorie has trained ever so well and he is chasing them down. Allan was due to get a rest anyway it was in my plan, with the two travels and giving Jon a bit of oxygen.
"Jon did himself well in that game and probably exercised a few of the skeletons from earlier in the season. Last time he played he’d made a mistake and I thought he made a fantastic save in Dingwall. That was a proper Jon McLaughlin performance really from when I was here previously.
"In a big moment, he does well, his distribution and coming to claim crosses are very good. He’s a calm head and kept another clean sheet. I reckon if you looked at his games per clean sheet it must be outstanding."
Are you looking for a more comprehensive scoreline against Kilmarnock?
"If you could guarantee it I would take it but I just want the three points at the moment. I would like to see us have more control just at certain times, be a bit stronger in our positioning and in the duels over the pitch. The things in the final third will click over time. We have been missing Antonio, Kemar, Ianis and Tom.
"Some of those players have been missing for a long time and the club has invested a lot in them. They’re key in the final third. I’d like to see a time where I’ve got a problem leaving one of them out or putting them four into the team.
"It would be nice, but we know at the moment the most important thing is to keep winning. I think Motherwell will make it difficult. They will be coming here trying to make up for the points they’ll feel they lost against Kilmarnock."
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