Nils Koppen plots returns for Rangers legends as he outlines rebuild plans

New Rangers technical director Nils Koppen has outlined his plan to bridge the pathway between the club's academy and first-team.

It was announced today that Koppen - who joined Gers from PSV at the start of the year as director of recruitment - has been promoted to oversee the club's entire football operations. The Belgian will still be heavily involved in leading the club's transfer strategy but a key part of his remit is also to improve the conveyer belt of youth players who graduate into the senior squad.

And the experienced talent spotter has hinted that he could offer legendary Gers figures the chance to mentor the next generation of stars at Ibrox.

READ MORE: Ianis Hagi tipped for crucial Rangers role after another starring show for Romania

READ MORE: Rangers announce new technical director as Ibrox club promote from within

"I think first of all we have to fill in the key positions within the academy to ensure that we'll be ready for the future", he told Rangers TV. "We can be a productive academy by bringing players through to the first team. I think there's a lot of good work to be done already in the last years within the academy but we cannot be satisfied with the general output of the academy.

"What we still have to improve or we still have to make steps in. We have to keep on creating room for our own academy players to make the step to the first team and we can do that by a better squad build up for the first team to roster them into the first team to give them the opportunity to step up and be a part of that.

"I think one of the objectives still will be to sign the best talents of Scotland to maintain our best talents because I'm sure we've got a lot of good talents already in the building. We're facing a challenge with the B Team where there's not an ideal platform so it's on us to try to get the best challenges and opportunities for the boys in our club.

"What we want to do is decrease age to make a step to the first team to make their breakthrough. We want to do that by strategic partnerships with other clubs by changing our own philosophy, by bringing the players on a younger age expose them to the first team training environment to give them the opportunity to show themselves and make the right steps at the right moment.

" I think what we also don't have to forget is that we're a Scottish club we have to educate players not only for our first team but also in general for the Scottish game. Something what we have to pay more attention on, that the output also if they cannot make it up here as a pro that they will be able to be a professional football player in the Scottish highest level and we really have to improve that.

"One of the things where I'm looking at is maybe adding in some ex-professional Rangers players to increase that level of DNA to that level of detail, players that are in this building be a part of it that know what's about that's something what's going to be key in the years to come."