Rangers will take some stopping next season even if Celtic 's summer rebuild goes to plan.
That's according to pundit Neil McCann, who doesn't envy the job the Parkhead side have on their hands next term.
Steven Gerrard 's side have made it to the split without tasting a league defeat as their draw with Celtic at the weekend maintained a 20-point gap over their Glasgow rivals.
They had the title sewn up two weeks ago, making them the earliest top division champions in Scottish football history.
And McCann reckons it will take some effort from Celtic to pry the title away from the at the first time of asking.
But pundit, who played for Rangers between 1998-2003, isn't buying Gerrard's claims that his side are paying no attention to the idea of an Invincible season.
He said in his BBC column : "Despite Steven Gerrard telling the media after the Old Firm game that talk of an invincible league season is a 'sideshow', it will absolutely matter to Rangers.
"And so it should. Although winning the Scottish Cup is also important, there is no question Rangers should be targeting an unbeaten campaign."
He went on: "As Rangers move closer to an unbeaten season, people will compare the team to Celtic's Invincibles from 2016-17, when Brendan Rodgers was in charge.
"Unlike Rodgers' side, Rangers can't win the treble but there will still be analysis of their league campaigns in terms of points, goals scored etc.
"I think it's unfair to compare teams like that, but I do wonder how they would have fared playing against one another. Maybe one day in the computer world someone might throw that together and see if we can get a virtual outcome. Both are terrific sides.
"For next season, Rangers right now are in a strong position because they are champions. To become a champion and dethrone someone takes an unbelievable amount of work. But to stay there is harder.
"Every champion will tell you that, whether it's in boxing, snooker, you name it.
"Celtic will be smarting and will try to regroup. It's a difficult rebuild they've got because they've got the managerial situation to sort out, the playing squad, director of football, as well as a new chief executive. It's a full revamp.
"They're going against a Rangers side just now that are rejuvenated. There's a power about them and a belief in the club that they're back to where they think they belong. And that's going to take some stopping."
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