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By STEPHEN HALLIDAY Published: 01: 27 AEDT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 01: 43 AEDT, 3 January 2026 View comments James Tavernier is remaining tight-lipped as to what the future holds for him beyond the end of the season. The Rangers captain’s 11th campaign at the Ibrox club could also be his last, with his contract due to expire in the summer. The 34-year-old was giving nothing away when quizzed on the issue yesterday, stating curtly: ‘There have been talks behind the scenes but they will stay private’. While it remains to be seen whether Tavernier is part of manager Danny Rohl’s longer-term vision for Rangers, he is still a key figure in their current bid to elbow their way into the thick of the Premiership title race. A victory on the road against Celtic on Saturday would see Rohl’s team move level on points with their city rivals in the pursuit of pacesetters Hearts. That was a fanciful scenario when Rangers dropped 13 points in their first seven league games under Russell Martin before his dismissal. James Tavernier insists that talks about his Rangers future will remain private  The veteran skipper is still playing his part as Rangers attempt to mount a title challenge Tavernier is full of praise for Rohl’s impact since then and is now hopeful of sustaining a title challenge all the way to May. ‘From where we were in the season, some people might have completely written us off, ’ said the right back. ‘We’ve had to keep our heads down and just keep chipping away. We have to keep our consistency high, we can’t afford to drop standards. ‘We’ve had a lot of time on the training pitch with the manager and we’ve adapted to different styles of how we want to play. ‘I feel like we’re getting better as a team and learning more from what we’ve done in the past. The lads are really taking in what he wants and I do think we’re getting better. ‘We always want to be in that shout (for the title race). Consistency is always the key in any season. ‘You have to put in performances, put results together to put yourself in with a shout. We’ve had setbacks but overall we’ve worked really hard to try and put ourselves in it. ‘Saturday is another game we want to get three points from. It’ll be a step closer to the end of the season and we’ll fight all the way to the end. ’ Tavernier is enjoying playing under Danny Rohl and sees big improvements in the team Manager Rohl clearly appreciates Tavernier's contribution in recent match with Motherwell Tavernier believes Rangers will be well prepared for the radical change in tactics implemented by new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy as they look to make the most of their attacking opportunities against his 3-4-3 set-up. ‘Everyone has obviously spoken about their formation and style of play, ’ he said. ‘Our analyst boys have done a lot of homework on them and we’ll have a couple of meetings ahead of the game. ‘We’ll go through it, work on the training pitch but we just have to focus on what we’re going to do. ‘We want to be aggressive without the ball and on it, try to be composed, get to their final third and create chances. ‘We can only concentrate on ourselves. I’ve played at Celtic Park in the past at times when we’ve done well and put the crowd against them. ‘That’s because of how we’ve played, so it’ll be about how we start the game on Saturday from the first whistle. ‘It will be very hostile so you have to enjoy it. You have to stay calm. There will be moments in the game when they have possession and are creating chances. ‘But that’s when you have to stay cool, calm and collected. You have to embrace it and give it your all. ’

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