Steven Naismith has warned Jordan Jones and George Edmundson they are "easily expendable" at Rangers.
The Ibrox pair are set to begin a seven match suspension following an SFA verdict on their Covid-19 breach.
Boss Steven Gerrard hinted at a way back for the banned duo, insisting they'd shown genuine remorse at attending a private gathering with people "out with their household".
But Hearts striker and former Rangers star Naismith isn't convinced.
He fears Jones and Edmundson 's future at the club is no longer in their own hands.
Naismith told PLZ Soccer’s Football Show: “In terms of Rangers as a whole, the manager’s built his squad and these guys have been a part of that. Whether they’re starters or guys who need to bide their time, they were always going to get game-time with the number of games Rangers have. That’s probably the part that will anger the manager.
“For them, so many things have been taken out of their hands now.
“The seven games, everyone else in the squad can play and put themselves ahead of these two guys in the squad and before you know it, you’re into the January transfer window and the manager might want to freshen things up.
“With them not being guys who don’t carry enough weight because they’ve not done enough at the club, they’re easily expendable. If the manager says ‘out you go’, there’s not much they can do in terms of forcing the club’s hand to keep them because they’ve not performed well enough – it’s as simple as that.
“It’s going to be a tough couple of months ahead.”
