Mark Warburton says Rangers need to strengthen if they are promoted

Rangers manager Mark Warburton admits he is aware of the need to strengthen ahead of a potential return to the Premiership next season.

Warburton's men defeated Queen of the South 4-3 at Ibrox on Saturday to move themselves one step closer to the Championship title.

Having raced into a commanding 4-1 lead, with three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half, Rangers conceded twice to make it a nervy finish despite dominating large chunks of the game.

Similarly, last week the Light Blues were quick out of the traps to score two early goals but defensive lapses cost them dearly, as they went on to lose 3-2 against Falkirk.

Despite perceived defensive frailties, Warburton is keen to add across all areas of the squad, not just in the backline.

He said: "In defence, Rob Kiernan has been outstanding, as has Danny Wilson. We will add one more because we'll need more numbers next year but we'll look for quality to add to the group.

"We'll add four or five players to the group overall."

Former Brentford boss Warburton enjoys working with a smaller squad and only named five substitutes on the bench for the visit of Queen of the South.

Many of Rangers' younger players were on international duty with their respective U21 squads which left the Ibrox boss without first-team stars such as Billy King and Barrie McKay.

"We've got eight or nine boys away with the international squads," said Warburton. "We've got a tight squad but we always try and help out the international teams.

"But when we lose that many boys it leaves us very light in numbers. I don't want a bench filled just for the sake of it.

"I want to make sure that to get on a Rangers bench, you have to earn it. It's a big honour."