Rangers legend Brian Laudrup believes Eddie Howe needs time at Celtic as the incoming manager tries to catch up to an Ibrox side that will continue to strengthen.
Howe is expected to be announced as the Parkhead club's new boss in the coming weeks, though question marks remain over whether he will be taking over immediately or allow interim boss John Kennedy to remain in charge until the summer.
The appointment will unite a disgruntled fanbase after a disappointing season but for the first time since Neil Lennon was named boss back in 2010, the starting position for the fallen champions under their fresh face is second best.
And Laudrup reckons Steven Gerrard will try to lengthen the gap between Rangers and their rivals, not stand still.
He wrote in his Daily Mail column: "His obvious task is to drastically improve Celtic's performances and catch Rangers next season.
"The problem, however, is that he will be trying to grasp a moving target.
"Gerrard won't stand still. It's simply not in his personality. He has raised the bar in the Scottish Premiership this season and will continue to try and do so.
"This year's title is just the start of his ambitions at Rangers. He's clear about that. Celtic are facing a huge turnover this summer but their rivals are able to build from a position of strength."
Laudrup insists the Parkhead support must be prepared to offer years of patience as they wait for Howe's Hoops to catch up - similar to how Gerrard was afforded three years to break Celtic's stranglehold on domestic honours.
He continued: "We know Celtic fans around the world are looking for a response to this season as quickly as possible. That's perfectly understandable.
"But are they, and Celtic as a club, prepared to offer Howe time? It's a quantity that's always in short supply in Glasgow. But I think he will need it once the deal is finalised.
"For Celtic, this campaign has come as a huge shock after so many years of winning.
"Have they got it in them to accept that they might have to wait a year - or maybe two - for a new manager to build, implement his ideas and create his own squad before he is truly able to come good?
"To me, that's the biggest question of all. And I imagine it was one Howe might have been asking in his conversations with Dermot Desmond and other senior figures at Celtic."
