Andy Halliday confident Mark Warburton won't leave Rangers 'for a smaller club'

The Gers boss has been touted for several managerial positions in recent weeks, with Fulham the latest Championship club to be linked with a swoop to land the Englishman.

Warburton has played down the chances of him leaving Glasgow just months after he and assistant David Weir were tasked with returning Rangers to the top of Scottish football and has often spoken about the importance of commitment in his Ibrox blue print.

Midfielder Halliday joined his boyhood heroes in the summer and has been one of the key players for Warburton’s side as Rangers have moved into pole position in the Championship title race.

And the 24-year-old admits it is vital the Light Blues hold on to their boss for the remainder of the campaign to ensure Rangers are back in the top flight next term.

He said: "It's majorly important that the manager stays. There has been a lot of new faces coming in this summer and none more so than the gaffer.

“He's come in and changed quite a lot of things, including the style of play on the park and the mentality of the boys. It would be a huge disappointment if he moved on, but to be honest I can't see that happening.

“He came here and he knew he had a job to do and he knows he's only a small bit part of it done. I think he will stay for the duration and do what he has to do.”

Warburton saw his side move three points clear of title rivals Hibernian with a 4-0 win over Dumbarton on Tuesday night, with Halliday scoring the final goal from the penalty spot after efforts from Jason Holt, Martyn Waghorn and Nathan Oduwa.

The 53-year-old once again brushed off doubts over his future and asked for ‘respect’ amid the speculation he could return south of the border.

But Halliday is confident it would take a huge offer to even tempt the former Brentford boss to leave Ibrox at present.

He said: "I think the gaffer has touched on [the size of Rangers]. I have seen a couple of clubs mentioned with him, but none of them are anywhere near as big as Rangers.

“At the end of the day I don't think he will ever leave Rangers for a smaller club.

"You can't let yourself get away from the job in hand. As players, we just have to do what we do, train hard and gear up for the weekend, but like I said I am not worried about it. I think he'll be here for the duration."