What are key issues for Rangers and new manager McInnes?

Just a few weeks after missing out on the Scottish Premiership title with Hearts, Derek McInnes has taken on a new challenge at Rangers. He becomes the third manager or head coach in a year at Ibrox. In announcing his arrival, McInnes was designated the job title 'manager' by Rangers. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh promised a "summer of substantial change" in the wake of a disappointing 2025-26 season, but replacing Danny Rohl was not on his to-do list until RB Salzburg came calling. So what are the immediate tasks facing McInnes? 'Real honour' as McInnes succeeds Rohl at Rangers 'Atalanta eye Rangers' Raskin' - gossip Improve the mindset As Rangers' title challenge fizzled out last term, Rohl spoke repeatedly of the need to recruit "leaders". The German had earned plaudits for dragging his side back into a three-way tussle at the top but the squad's mentality came under the spotlight after a terrible post-split run in the Scottish Premiership. Rangers went into the final five games one point behind Hearts and two ahead of eventual champions Celtic, only to finish a distant third following four successive defeats and only one win, which came on the last day. Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, whose move to Rangers was announced late last month, is a virtual guarantee of goals and the former Hearts skipper also provides valuable experience. The 30-year-old could be a candidate to instantly take the captaincy on following the Ibrox exit of James Tavernier. There is no doubt Rangers need a few more strong characters. Before the signing of Shankland, Cavenagh talked of cultivating a "pro-Scottish bias" at Ibrox and that should sit well with McInnes, who maintained a strong local core at Tynecastle amid a flurry of data-driven signings from across the globe. Bolster the defence With Tavernier gone, along with loan signings Nasser Djiga, Jayden Meghoma, Max Aarons and Derek Cornelius, building from the back seems like an essential place to start. Rangers conceded 43 Premiership goals last season - more than Celtic, Hearts and Motherwell and one fewer than Hibernian. Towering centre-half Emmanuel Fernandez grew in stature in his debut campaign and Tuur Rommens added tenacity and thrust at left-back following his January arrival from Belgium. Dujon Sterling provides aggression and athleticism but in three seasons at Ibrox has played just under half the games that Tavernier, eight years his senior, managed in the same time period. Like Sterling, John Souttar has had injury problems and has another year to run on his contract. The Scotland centre-half was sidelined for 10 games last term and, when fit, started just two of the last nine. New defensive recruits are certain but Souttar can take heart from the way Craig Halkett resurrected his career under McInnes, with Stuart Findlay another seasoned Scottish campaigner to flourish while working with the new Rangers boss. McInnes' tendency to field a back three may also suit Souttar, having looked more comfortable in that system with both Hearts and Scotland. Rangers' last title celebration in 2020-21 was built on a stingy defence leaking a mere 13 goals and a solid back four was the bedrock of success during the Walter Smith reigns, the first of which featured McInnes as a player. Pruning bloated squad Scotland pair Lawrence Shankland and Findlay Curtis look set to be key men for Rangers next season [SNS] Rangers will hope to hold on to prize assets like Fernandez and Nicolas Raskin, but there will need to be goings as well as comings this summer. Of last year's intake, Lyall Cameron and Oliver Antman struggled to make an impact while Thelo Aasgaard, Djeidi Gassama and Bojan Miovski showed glimpses of promise but not nearly often enough. Nedim Bajrami, who has two years on his deal to run, was seldom seen. The same applies to Danilo, who was again underwhelming before an unremarkable stint in the Netherlands, while the lesser-spotted Oscar Cortes remains under contract until 2029. The blossoming of Findlay Curtis on loan at Kilmarnock, which earned the teenage winger a World Cup call, should soften the blow of Mikey Moore returning to Tottenham. His potential promotion to the Rangers starting line-up would push Antman or Gassama further down the pecking order too. Hit the ground running Rangers cannot afford another slow start. Last season, it took until late September for a first league victory and when Russell Martin was sacked on 5 October they were eighth in the Premiership, trailing McInnes' Hearts by 11 points. While Rohl was new to Scottish football, McInnes knows the terrain inside out - with the vast majority of his 814 matches as a manager coming in the Premiership. The 54-year-old made an instant impact at Tynecastle, winning eight of his first nine top-flight games and losing just one in 18 as Hearts came so close to ending a 41-year Old Firm stranglehold on the title. Rangers are scheduled to begin pre-season training this week, with a camp in Austria to follow. The Premiership kicks off on the first weekend of August, with the first leg of the third qualifying round for the Europa League on 6 August. Cavenagh and co have already invested heavily and will be in a hurry to see some silverware from their investment. The American had been backing Rohl to do that with a "revamped squad and a full pre-season". The man in charge has changed but the mission remains the same. 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