STEVEN GERRARD has thanked the Ibrox board for helping him build a squad that will benefit Rangers on and off the park in the future.

The 40-year-old has been significantly backed in the transfer market since being appointed as boss and has seen his efforts rebuilding his team pay off so far.

Rangers head into their Europa League clash with Benfica tomorrow night on the back of a 4-0 win over Aberdeen that took them nine points clear at the top of the Premiership.

Accounts for RIFC plc that were released last week showed a loss of £15.9million for the financial year to June 30, 2020.

But Gerrard knows there are real assets within his ranks that will help Gers chiefs balance the books should they ever need to cash in.

Gerrard said: "The board support has been fantastic since the first day I came in really. In terms of the numbers, obviously you have to take certain things into consideration given the timing. They could have looked very much different if we did accept a bid for one of our big assets.

"I think the important thing to know is that this team is in much better shape than it was when we came through the door.

"The team is littered now with big assets. The team is worth an awful lot of money now compared to what it was."