Philippe Clement has made a statement that should worry Rangers supporters ahead of the Scottish Premiership opener against Heart of Midlothian. 

Clement is overseeing a huge rebuild at Ibrox during his first summer in charge. Lots of experienced faces have departed while eight new players have arrived. 

There's one telling point though, and it seems Clement feels that way, is the fact only one new recruit has been named in the starting XI to face Hearts - Connor Barron.

The Rangers boss spoke to BBC Scotland ahead of the clash at Tynecastle Park and described his available squad as "no better than last season". 

With regaining the league title from Celtic high on the agenda, Clement knows those he has at his disposal must hit the ground running immediately to avoid any excuses that the 2024/25 campaign will be written off because of the high squad turnover. 

"You can never predict how fast that will go," Clement said of integrating his summer recruits.

"So we are going to do everything with all the resources in the club, with all the staff, and with all the players, all the dressing room to make it happen as fast as possible.

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"It stays as a season where we want to win everything. I want players who want to win every game, so that's the bar where we put it, and we will go hard for that.

"There's always expectancy because that's what we are all about. We want to win things, we want to win titles, but if you have a transition then it can take maybe a little bit more time. 

"I believe in the players we are signing and the things we are doing also in recruitment now. 

"It's not only short-term anymore but also long-term. I believe the club will come better and the squad will come better.

"Is it now at the moment? No, it's probably not better than at the end of the season, but we are working on that to make that better.

"It's about integrating those players and getting them used to playing for Rangers."

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Probed further on whether the Rangers supporters should be patient and taper their expectations this season, the Light Blues gaffer explained: "All the fans that I've met up until now are realistic. They all support the club. That's the only thing I can ask and it's what I see also.

"They give a great atmosphere every time like we seen last season and then we will arrange that the players give their all every time. It's about building this story together. 

"As we make this squad stronger and stronger, we want to get better and better."