Philippe Clement told 2 Rangers 'musts' as Aberdeen set alarm bells ringing at Ibrox

Alan Hutton has told Philippe Clement that Rangers MUST lift both domestic cups to salvage their season.

Gers are a whopping nine points adrift of unbeaten Celtic and Aberdeen having lost three of their 11 league games. Even at this stage in the campaign, the title looks out of sight for the Govan club, with Celts heavy favourites to complete their quest for four-in-a-row. However, the thought of finishing third behind Aberdeen is unthinkable and Hutton reckons Jimmy Thelin's Pittodrie revolution will be setting alarm bells off at Ibrox.

The former right-back told Best Betting Sites: "If it was just Celtic, people wouldn’t accept it, but they would understand that they're at a different level at this moment in time. Jimmy Thelin has come into Aberdeen and done the same thing, he’s got them flying. That's why the red flags are out and the alarm bells are sounding at this moment in time.

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"Rangers, where they are, even at board level, the stability is not there so there's a huge turnaround within the club. Everything's changing and I did feel sorry for the manager at times, because he kind of had his hands tied behind his back, especially at the beginning of the season. Now we should be seeing signs that they're moving forward and we’re still not seeing that."

Under-fire Clement has yet to get the better of Celtic in FIVE attempts and Hutton has warned he must get a result in next month's Old Firm Premier Sports Cup Final showdown at Hampden, as well as adding the Scottish Cup to trophy cabinet come May.

He said: "Nobody would have wanted to see this situation at this moment in time. They’re nine points off Aberdeen and Celtic, so at the start of the season they want to compete for the league, simple as that, and both cup trophies. They want to have a good run in Europe. The league at this moment in time, to claw back nine points, it’s very difficult to bridge that gap against a very good Celtic team.

"Celtic are a different animal and Aberdeen have done exceptionally well, so you have to look at the other two trophies and think those are a must. Rangers, Celtic, these big clubs must win silverware, so that has to be a priority.

"They're doing well in Europe, even though the Lyon defeat was a difficult one to take, but again, Lyon were an outstanding opponent, so you can't really complain too much about it. Rangers are doing well in that competition, but they need to carry that form week in, week out in the league and they've not done that. The performances have been too inconsistent. The League Cup and the Scottish Cup are a must, but you just feel at this moment in time the league, the gap's just getting too wide."