As Celtic close in on yet another historic Treble, even former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday has acknowledged the growing gulf between the two teams.

With the Hoops on course for a sixth clean sweep in just nine years, Halliday admitted that only a handful of players from the current Ibrox side would get into Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic squad — a damning reflection of the contrast in squad quality.

Speaking on Open Goal, Halliday named four Rangers players he believes could fit into the Celtic squad– Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande, John Souttar, and Vaclav Cerny. While those comments might even spark debate among Celtic supporters, it says a lot about the power and depth of this Celtic team.

Halliday said: “I think he [Raskin] would for Engels. That’s why he’s in the Belgium squad ahead of Engels.

“There aren’t many. I think you’d take Vaclav Cerny in your squad anyway.

“You’d take Raskin in your squad. I think you would take [Mohamed] Diomande in your squad as well. That’s probably it.

“Oh, and Souttar. I’d take him the squad. He’s done well this year. He’s one of the few pass marks, I’d say.”

While Engels has been a regular starter in his first season at Celtic Park, Celtic haven’t been able to rely on him to control games consistently. That role still belongs to Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate, who continue to run the midfield with a mix of calmness, drive, and quality.

It’s also worth pointing out that Engels is more of an all-round attacking midfielder, someone who chips in with goals and creates chances, unlike Raskin, who operates more as a holding player. That makes the comparison a bit questionable.

If anything, Raskin would find himself in direct competition with McGregor – and that debate ends the moment you say their names. The Celtic captain has proven his worth year after year and remains one of the first names on the team sheet.

Souttar wouldn’t start ahead of either Cameron Carter-Vickers or Liam Scales. Carter-Vickers has been the best defender in the country since arriving in 2021, while Scales has grown into a key player on the left side of defence with his ability on the ball. Souttar doesn’t offer that same calmness or quality in possession that the Irishman does.

Then there’s Cerny – and it’s hard to see how he’d be ahead of Nicolas Kühn in the pecking order. Kühn has shown some real flashes of quality since joining, and with James Forrest also finding form again in recent weeks, it would be difficult for Cerny to break into the starting side.

And lastly, on Diomande – he simply isn’t attacking-minded enough to displace either Hatate or Engels. Those two regularly create chances and score goals, something Diomande doesn’t do nearly often enough. It’s hard to make a case for any of the four Rangers players Halliday mentioned walking into this Celtic team.

With Celtic now preparing for a Scottish Cup final and having already sealed the league title, talk of a Treble isn’t wishful thinking – it’s close to becoming a reality. And as that success nears, the difference between the two sides looks more clear than ever.