BRIAN LAUDRUP insists Celtic's slip up against St Mirren has allowed Rangers back into the Scottish Premiership title race.

But despite the early "Christmas gift", the Ibrox hero has warned his former side that there is simply no room for slip-ups.

Rangers head to Tynecastle this weekend and Laudrup is expecting a tough test against Robbie Neilson's side.

But he hopes Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players are rejuvenated following the international break.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: "Rangers face their biggest and toughest match outside an Old Firm game when they travel to Tynecastle this Saturday. St Mirren's 2-0 win over Celtic in Paisley before the international break was a Christmas gift in September for the Ibrox side.

"Not a lot of people saw it coming. I certainly didn't. Rangers are back in it, but now they need to step up. We have to be fair and say my old club are not playing particularly well right now and this could be a real banana-skin game in Edinburgh against third-placed Hearts. Rangers need to get back to what made them so good last season.

"People are watching Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side not performing. They are seeing high-profile players not delivering the goods.

"The Ibrox players and management badly need to shut the critics up and get a result at Tynecastle and take that into Europe because we all know they play Liverpool at Anfield next in the Champions League. What a game that's going to be!

"As a Rangers player, I loved visiting Tynecastle. It was a real football stadium with 18,000 passionate supporters close to the pitch and up for the game with the Glasgow and Edinburgh rivalry an added element.

"We had some very tough and interesting games against Hearts and, if you are expecting any current team to put pressure on Celtic and Rangers from the Premiership, they are the team you would pick."