After watching his side go back top of the SPL with a 3-0 win over Gretna at Celtic Park, Strachan said: “All will be revealed in January.

“We are getting down the line with one or two things and I’m sure if they come off, we will be a stronger squad.

“But things can break down and that has happened in many a transfer so we are better saying things are progressing quite nicely and we hope to introduce new players to you somewhere along the line.

“But I wouldn’t think so (have new players available for the Rangers game) no.”

Rangers’ 2-1 win at Hibernian earlier in the day saw the Ibrox outfit leapfrog the Parkhead side at the top of the SPL by one point but that lasted only a few hours.

Goals by Scott McDonald, Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady took the champions - nervy in the first half – back to the summit.

The visitors, who outplayed Celtic earlier in the season only to lose 2-1 to a late McDonald strike, had the best chances in the opening 45 minutes which prompted Strachan to admit it had been another uncomfortable afternoon for him.

He said: “The three points were the main thing but I didn’t enjoy it.

“We got the result but we would have liked to have played better.

“We didn’t use the ball as well as we could and we took too many touches.

“They can feel a wee bit aggrieved.

“Gretna played terrific against us and got nothing so it is unfortunate for them that the lucky games for us are against Gretna.

“Is it karma when things balance themselves out? Well, Gretna are suffering at the moment.”

Artur Boruc, who returned after missing five games following his knee operation, kept Gretna at bay until McDonald got the opener in the 35th minute.

Strachan was sympathetic to number two goalkeeper Mark Brown, who dropped down to the bench again.

He said: “It is a shame for Mark Brown but he knows that Artur is not only the number one goalkeeper here but could be the number one in Europe.

“He is a big asset for us.”

Gretna boss Davie Irons refused to make a big deal out of the loss of skipper Chris Innes, who failed to make the game after being caught up in an horrific road traffic accident on the M8.

Irons said: “He was a loss but you have to put it in to perspective in terms of what actually happened on the motorway.

“There was a fatality so in relative terms its nothing compared to what the family of the person who lost their life must be going through.

“Football is irrelevant when someone loses their life.

“He phoned me at half-time and he was still stuck there so out thoughts go out to the family who have lost someone.

“If you want me to talk about the football, Chris is a big player for us and I don’t think I would have lost the first goal if Chris had been playing.

“We were a bit naive. We didn’t anticipate (Jan) Vennegoor of Hesselink winning the header and Scott McDonald scored.”