As reported by The Daily Record, Steven Gerrard will not be selling Rangers’ Josh Windass and James Tavernier, protecting them from any summer clear out at Ibrox.

What’s the story?

The next few months are definitely going to be a transition for Rangers as they get to grips with the direction that new boss Steven Gerrard wants to take at the club. The Liverpool legend officially took charge on Friday but has already made a crucial first team decision.

While fans are expecting quality first team signings to come into the club, there’s also realisation that many players could leave too.

However, two players that won’t be leaving Glasgow are Josh Windass and James Tavernier.

That’s according to The Daily Record, who report that Gerrard has told Director of Football not to encourage bids for the pair this summer, having also met with Windass to assure him he has a future at the Light Blues.

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Do they deserve to stay?

Both players have certainly had their criticisms at the club over the past couple of seasons but overall the benefits of keeping both definitely outweigh the negatives.

Although his defensive position and decision making needs improvement, Tavernier is one of the best right-backs in the entire division and offers an impressive attacking threat beyond almost every other defender in Scotland. His nine goals and nine assists in 2017/18 attest to that.

Windass was one of the most effective attackers in the Scottish Premiership too, scoring an impressive 18 goals and assisting a further eight times across the season.

Those are contributions that the Light Blues can’t afford to get rid of next season and could cost millions to replace, so Gerrard is spot on in ring-fencing them from potential sales at the club this summer.