Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has given his reaction to the links to bring Sunderland striker Ross Stewart to Ibrox. 

The lowdown: Gers' interested

This comes as Rangers are heavily linked with a move for Stewart should Alfredo Morelos leave Ibrox this summer.

The 25-year-old frontman enjoyed a stellar campaign in League One and was an integral part of the side that earned promotion to the Championship via the playoffs.

Stewart is fast approaching the final 12 months of a deal in the North East of England and one invested onlooker has had his say on the potential move to Glasgow...

The latest: Hutton on Stewart

Speaking to Football Insider, regular BBC pundit and Rangers TV man Hutton suggested that the Scotsman could be a worthwhile addition but only alongside further transfers.

He said: “You’re going for Champions League football, that’s how high the bar is at this moment in time. Can he play to that level? We’re unsure. Of course, he was outstanding in League One but we’re talking about elite level. Only time will tell if he can reach those heights.

“I’m pretty sure Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have sights on a few different players. Stewart is a particular type of number nine. He’s a big guy, he’s not the usual profile that Rangers go for.

“So they might look to bring in another type of attacking threat as well.”

The verdict: Two needed

With a remarkable 164 goal involvements in 224 appearances for Rangers, losing a player of Morelos' quality this summer would leave a huge hole in Giovanni van Bronckhorst's squad that cannot be filled by the addition of Stewart alone.

That's despite netting 26 times in 49 league and play-off games during a breakout 2021/22 season following a switch from Ross County, earning an outstanding 7.25 Sofascore rating whilst winning 7.6 duels, making 1.3 key passes and finding the target with 1.2 shots on average per game.

However, having left Scotland on the back of just three-goal involvements in the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21, Van Bronckhorst would be wise to avoid pinning all the responsibility and expectation on Stewart and Kemar Roofe when it comes to replacing Morelos' output.

In other news, Rangers have a potential Alfredo Morelos replacement in mind