Still on the hunt for their next manager, Rangers have identified their new “leading candidate” to take the job, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Gerrard's Ibrox decision explained
It’s been a woeful start for the 49ers, there’s no escaping it. They instantly had a big decision to make in the summer and turned to Russell Martin as a result, but the manager failed to win over the rest of Ibrox from the very start. As soon as he stepped foot in the dugout, the former Southampton boss looked unlikely to last and just 123 days later, that proved true.
So, it was back to the drawing board for Kevin Thelwell, Paraag Marathe and the rest of the new Rangers board, who quickly identified Steven Gerrard.
The former Liverpool star has made his desire to return to management no secret and it looked as though that would come courtesy of the Gers. After meeting with the 49ers, however, Gerrard came to the conclusion that now is not the right time to return to Ibrox.
Many have had their say as to why that is ever since, including Ally McCoist. The Rangers legend recently claimed that the Scottish Premiership winner must have been left unconvinced by the current project.
McCoist told reporters: “He wouldn’t have come for the interview in the first place would he (if it was a financial). Either they haven’t sold him it, or I would suggest something has happened in the interview process that hasn’t taken his fancy.”
No matter the reason, Rangers are back to square one and have been left with no choice but to identify a new “leading candidate”.
Fabrizio Romano drops update on Rangers' "leading candidate"
According to Romano, Kevin Muscat is now the “leading candidate” to take the Rangers job following Gerrard’s rejection. The Shanghai Port manager was linked with the job back in 2023, before Philippe Clement was hired instead, and could now get the chance to step into the dugout just two years later.
“He’s the leading candidate now, yes. After Gerrard’s decision to leave talks, he’s now the favourite.”
The big obstacle for Rangers to overcome will be getting Muscat out of his Shanghai Port deal. The Chinese Super League side still have four games remaining of their league campaign and sit two points clear on their way to winning the title. Whether Muscat will want to leave before he rounds off an excellent season is the question that those at Ibrox must be asking.
As for his expertise, the 52-year-old would make perfect sense. He’s won everywhere that he’s been, he played for Rangers in the past and he has been a candidate for the job in the past. When his Yokohama side played Manchester City in a pre-season friendly back in 2023, Pep Guardiola was left stunned by the positivity and aggression of Muscat’s side as City ran out 5-3 winners.
“I say wow. I watched Yokohama and I like what I see. Maybe because we are in the same football group – the City Football Group – they are doing a very good job.
“Tomorrow will be so difficult for us because they are so aggressive. They are dynamic in their process, the build-up, everything they do. I like it. I say wow.”