PEDRO CAIXINHA reckons Scottish football needs Rangers to be a strong force once again – and he is the man to make it happen at Ibrox.

The Portuguese was unveiled on Monday after agreeing a three-year deal to become the 16th Light Blues boss.

He will take charge for the first time against Hamilton this weekend as he looks to guide the Gers to second spot in the Premiership and has also set his sights on Scottish Cup glory this term.

Caixinha claimed that the Ibrox squad was the best in the country and he is determined to lead Rangers to top flight glory once again.

He said: “To even make this club bigger than it is. To try and achieve something that maybe we haven’t achieved.

“To try and give a stability to the club in all levels, in all structures. And to get it on the way in order to be unstoppable.

“This is for sure the biggest club in Scotland. I want to help them come back in this situation and go from there.

“I always believe in the players who work with me on a daily basis.

“These are the guys who win for me. I think all the time that they are the best.

“According to my point of view they are the best in the country. If I don’t believe in my players, do you think they are going to believe in me.

“This is the philosophy I need to share with them regards to the relations I spoke about before.

‘Definitely [Celtic might beg to differ]. I need to agree with the facts you are exposing me to. But I do believe that Celtic wants Rangers to be strong.

“I believe that Scottish football wants Rangers to be strong. You don’t want to fight all the time and the champion is always in the pre-qualifier for the Champions League.

“You don’t want a team to have four knock-out games in order to arrive at the group stage.”

After watching from the stands as Rangers drew 1-1 with Celtic on Sunday, Caixinha will soon get his first taste of Old Firm action when he faces Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month.

But the 46-year-old won’t limit his ambitions to just domestic success as he also attempts to make an impact on the continent in the coming years.

He said: “We are talking about trophies. We are talking about European trophies.

“It will take time, for sure, but at this level you need to set goals up high. If you set them low it’s not enough.

“They need to be realistic at the same time. It’s going to take time to arrive there but it’s important to know you are following those goals.

“At this time, I agree, it’s not realistic. But we need to set targets which are realistic and ambitious at the same time.”

Before Rangers can start to test themselves against the best teams in Europe once again, Caixinha will need to secure his first Premiership title.

The Light Blues are 33 points adrift of Celtic in the top flight standings but the Ibrox boss is keen to mount a challenge for the league flag next term.

Caixinha said: “We hope, we hope, we hope. Let’s finish this season first and we hope to do it.

“As I have said from the beginning, Scottish football needs a strong Rangers.

“And a strong Rangers is only one that is fighting for titles. So that’s what we will try and do.

“It will take time. I hope it’s going to be next season, but only time will tell.”