Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has refused to pile "added pressure" on his players by talking up their Scottish Premiership title chances.

The Light Blues finished 12 points adrift of Celtic and three behind Aberdeen in the league last season.

However, the arrival of former Liverpool and England captain Gerrard, alongside an unbeaten start to Gers' Europa League qualifying campaign, has left the club's fans dreaming of success.

When asked about his side's championship aspirations, the 38-year-old stressed that "the focus is on Aberdeen", their opponents in Sunday's league opener.

"It's a difficult question to answer as it's a long season but we made a lot of changes for a reason, we felt the squad needed that amount of surgery to help it compete," Gerrard told reporters.

"We don't want to set any targets or put any added pressure on the players, we've said just to focus on each game.

"The idea is to have variety in every position so we can compete over the season ahead. But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, the focus is on Aberdeen."

Rangers last won the Scottish top-flight title in 2011.