Rangers keen to avoid another James Tavernier situation after making Lawrence Shankland call

Confirmation that Shankland would wear the armband in the coming season arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Speaking shortly afterwards, McInnes stressed that he expects others to step up and take responsibility as well.

The manager is set to appoint a leadership group. According to McInnes, the identity of those asked to share some of the burden carried by Shankland will not surprise anyone.

Those such as 26-year-old Dujon Sterling and new signing Dan Neil, only 24, have already worn the armband in friendlies this summer. Ben Godfrey, who has joined from Atalanta, was another who in the discussion to succeed Tavenier, who left the club earlier this summer after 11 years.

McInnes noted the young composition of his squad. Now 30, Shankland is comfortably the oldest among those expected to be regulars. Another candidate for skipper, the 25-year-old Nico Raskin, has an uncertain future at Ibrox.

“I felt Lawrence took a lot on his shoulders at Hearts when things weren’t going so well,” explained McInnes. “This time last year, when we went in at Hearts, he was the existing captain, and after seeing how he was in and around the team I saw no reason to change that.

“Here, the role is slightly different in that we need as many captains underneath him as possible. You’ve heard a lot of managers talk about that – sharing the burden. At Rangers, I always felt it was a bit unfair that James Tavernier was rolled out after every sore defeat - it was always the same guy fronting up. We need to share that load and that responsibility, both when things are going well and when they’re not, by leaning on his teammates and the leadership group we have in the dressing room. Ideally you want everyone to be able to handle that responsibility.”

McInnes will inform those he expects to act as lieutenants prior to Friday’s game against United. “I’ll speak to all the players about it tomorrow – today was just about naming Lawrence as captain,” he said. “There won’t be any big surprises; you could probably sit and guess who they are.”

On the delay in making Shankland skipper, he added: “I wanted to take time to look right through the squad and see how everybody was before making that call. The advantage Lawrence had is that I’ve already seen first-hand how well he runs a dressing room, with his experience captaining Hearts for a few years. We had a lot to consider, but plenty went in his favour – his experience, the fact we’re still quite a young dressing room, and that he knows the club as a Glasgow boy who has supported Rangers and understands what’s expected of him. I’ve also got a strong relationship with him, which always helps.”

McInnes is beginning to leave his own stamp on Rangers, with another player on the verge of joining his Ibrox revolution. South African centre-back Olwethu Makhanya could be in line to face United as his £5 million move from Philadelphia Union nears completion.

“He fits a similar profile to a lot of the business we’ve tried to do – good age, a lot of athleticism and big potential,” said McInnes. “We probably still need another couple of defenders before the window closes, but getting this one resolved this week would be a big step and we’d be delighted.”

In addition to two more defenders, McInnes expects a new addition to his forward line to arrive imminently. “There are key areas where we still need to bring one or two in, particularly towards the top end of the pitch,” he said.