Former Rangers right-back Alan Hutton says he expects at least “a couple” of departures before the transfer window closes next week.

Following Juninho Bacuna‘s arrival from Huddersfield Town, manager Steven Gerrard now has nine midfielders at his disposal in his first-team squad.

Hutton feels it is very unlikely that Gerrard will be able to keep them all happy and he believes one or two will be sent out on loan ahead of the transfer deadline:

“That’s the hard thing that will land at Steven Gerrard’s door – having to deal with all of those players. There are nine players in those midfield positions, you can’t keep all of them happy. We could see a couple go out on loan before the window shuts. That’s a possibility. Gerrard obviously brought Bacuna in, he felt he needed him as an option. The biggest problem he will have is keeping everyone happy.”

If we go through the list of midfielders, it is hard to guess which ones would be allowed to leave. Steven Davis, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara, Scott Arfield and Ianis Hagi are all regulars, while John Lundstram and Bacuna are both new additions.

When it comes to the likes of Ryan Jack and Nnamdi Ofoborh, they are not available for selection due to fitness and health problems so they won’t be leaving either. Hutton may feel that departures are possible but, as things stand, it looks like all of them could stay put.