STEVEN GERRARD has called for his Rangers players to do their talking on the pitch and prove they have what it takes to be winners.

Gerrard spent this week putting the Light Blues through their paces at a training camp as he continued his preparations for the new domestic and European campaigns.

The 39-year-old took five of his summer signings – Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie, Greg Stewart, Sheyi Ojo and George Edmundson – with him to Portugal before Steven Davis joined the squad following his international commitments with Northern Ireland.

And the Gers group was bolstered once again on Thursday as midfielder Joe Aribo put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal and completed his move from Charlton Athletic.

Rangers play their first competitive outing of the new season in a fortnight when they face Prishtina or St Joseph’s in the Europa League qualifying round and set their sights on a group stage berth.

And the countdown is on to the start of the Premiership as Gerrard looks to lead his side to a first top flight success in eight years and end Celtic’s ambitions of nine-in-a-row.

The Gers missed out on silverware in both cup competitions last term as they lost to Aberdeen at Hampden and Ibrox and Gerrard knows his players need to back up their words with actions in the coming months.

He said: “We can’t not win anything, that’s the reality. But I think players should be careful what they say when they’re speaking.

“I don’t mind people that are confident and ambitious but for me, it’s important the players understand that it’s the easy part doing interviews and saying we’ve got to do this or that. They’ve got to go and prove it on a football pitch consistently.

“Last year, we weren’t consistent enough in the league and cups. And you’ve also got to do it with a level of discipline to help yourself.

“If we find those two key ingredients, we’ll be a tough nut to crack this season.”

Rangers remain in the market for further reinforcements ahead of the new campaign and those additions are likely to be more experienced options at both ends of the field.

Gerrard is pleased with the start that Hastie has made to life in Light Blue following his move from Motherwell on a four-year deal.

Hastie faces significant competition for places in the wide areas and that is also the case for Ross McCrorie in the middle of the park.

Gerrard said: “Jake Hastie has just walked through the door and this will be a big change for him.

“The idea now will be to keep him here, to get him used to Rangers and his team-mates. He will get opportunities to play and shine, then we’ll go from there. I’m delighted to have him, he’s got a huge future.

“With Ross McCrorie, I’ll have a conversation with him as the pre-season goes on.

“It will boil down to what Ross’ ambitions are. A lot of boys think differently to the way I think.

“It will come down to what will satisfy Ross over the course of the season. If he’s expecting to start every single game, that won’t be the case. But I’ll speak to him before deciding what to do next.”