Rangers star Scott Arfield has admitted that fans have “every right” to be frustrated after the Light Blues’ stuttering start to 2020 – and warned his team-mates that if they can’t handle the pressure then they are “shouldn’t be here.”

The Gers have dropped five points since the winter break, leaving them seven behind bitter rivals Celtic in the league, and Arfield is confident the Gers squad can deal with the pressure.

The Canadian skipper admits he can’t quite figure out why Rangers haven’t been at their best but insists they can’t “overthink it.”

“Everyone signed up for this. When you sign for this football club you know it’s not going to be plain sailing,” Arfield said, as quoted by the Daily Record.

The pressure is on you to perform and quite rightly so. If you can’t handle it then you shouldn’t be here.

“As a team, staff and club we understand people’s frustrations. They’ve every right to feel like that but I certainly believe we have the players who can handle the pressure.

“I probably can’t put my finger on why we haven’t been as good since the winter break but as players, we can’t overthink it. That’s for other people.

“For us in the building, it’s maybe not been as fluid in an attacking sense, but if you score goals at the right time then opinions change.

“We’ve not been as fluid in games at home against the likes of Stranraer, St Mirren and Ross County. However, goals such as Joe Aribo’s against Hamilton change the momentum and attitudes around a match.”

Arfield scored twice in the weekend Scottish Cup win over Hamilton which helped set up a quarter-final clash with Hearts later this month.

With a trip to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock on Wednesday, there’s no chance for the Gers to rest on their laurels as the games come thick and fast.

After the stuttering start to the year, the Light Blues simply can’t afford any more mistakes – and we’ll get to see whether Arfield is right on the squad’s ability to cope with the pressure of the title race.f