Rangers make certain players exempt from drastic rebuild as Philippe Clement refuses to entertain price tags

Clement revealed recruitment plans have been underway for several months now, although Saturday's loss to Celtic – and with it the near-inevitable surrendering of the league title – have intensified the need for improvements. With no guarantee of future Champions League income, the Rangers manager warned that the club would need to operate within strict financial parameters but do so in a timely manner.

He said: “There is [a major rebuild] ahead. We have been busy with that for months. Of course [it will be significant] because we also have a lot of contracts ending. We don’t have unlimited finance so we need to make the right decisions in the positions and where to spend more and where to spend less.

“We are going to need to be more creative in that as a club, and we need to do it fast also, because we have decisive games already in August. That is going to be a challenging period for everybody to make fast decisions, to make good decisions, and to convince people to come here. But I can say that everybody on the board, in recruitment, is very motivated for that.”

Clement didn’t rule out selling players but hoped Butland, a nominee for the Player of the Year awards, wouldn’t leave for any price. “You can only sell players if you are sure you can get better for a lower price,” he added. “You can then use the extra money that you have for different positions. But there are also a few players I don’t want to let go for any price. Like Jack Butland? That is a good example, yes. I think that’s a very important thing for this club.”