Rangers manager Walter Smith believes Kris Boyd has yet to reach a decision over where his future lies.

Sources close to the 26-year-old striker have denied reports that he has already agreed to join Birmingham when his contract ends in the summer.

"I spoke to Kris earlier in the season and he is going to make his decision at the end of the season," said Smith.

"We respect that. That's what Kris has to do and it's an important stage of his career."

Rangers are heavily in debt and restricted in what they can offer players coming out of contract, while Boyd himself has expressed concern about the resulting uncertainty.

But the striker has held negotiations with Rangers about a new contract and has said previously that his decision could depend on whether Smith remains as manager after the end of the season.

This season is more difficult because we have a gap there and we had everyone telling us the championship was wrapped up Rangers manager Walter Smith

Smith, though, wants everyone to concentrate on retaining the Scottish Premier League title, especially after their 4-1 defeat by St Johnstone in midweek.

"It's also an important stage of the league season as well, so we would hope to get back to some kind of form from everyone's point of view," he said.

"We've succeeded as a team over the last few seasons and we are striving to be successful as a team again, so it's not just down to any one individual player."

Rangers are also keen to secure a number of their younger players on long-term deals, with forward John Fleck recently agreeing a new contract.

Smith had expected fellow 18-year-old Danny Wilson to follow suit this week but revealed that talks between the defender's representatives and chief executive Martin Bain had yet to reach a conclusion.

"Martin deals with all that, but, as far as I'm aware, they haven't reached agreement so far," said the manager.

"Martin has been trying to organise that for a few weeks now.

"Contractual things are important things and they take a bit of time."

Captain David Weir became the oldest-ever player to play for Rangers when he faced St Johnstone earlier in the week, 41 days short of his 40th birthday.

"He has been fantastic since he came to us," Smith said of the former Everton defender.

"His contribution to the success we have achieved so far in that period has been fantastic.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to Boyd's contract situation

"I've been very lucky to work with a lot of good professionals and he is certainly pushing them all to be named the best that I've worked with."

Weir is another who is out of contract at the end of the season.

"We have an agreement where I speak to him at the end of every season and we see how each of us feels," said Smith.

"I'll do that again this year, but you always get the impression, if everything is going okay, he could do another year. But we will just have to wait and see."

Weir's milestone on Wednesday night was overshadowed by the surprise defeat in Perth and Smith claims last year's title race was easier for Rangers when they were chasing Celtic rather than this time around, when they lead the pack by 10 points.

"Last season, it was dead easy because we were behind Celtic and we had to catch up," he said, hoping for a response at home to Hamilton Accies on Saturday.

"This season is more difficult because we have a gap there and we have everyone telling us the championship is wrapped up.

"It's maybe natural, when the players reach the stage where everybody is telling them they've won the championship, that they take that as read and maybe relax a little.

"It only takes a little drop to be a dangerous thing and we saw that the other night when we weren't at our best and we lost, deservedly.

"We were really disappointed but we have to be careful not to over-analyse a defeat like that."

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