Rangers hero Arthur Numan has arrived back in Glasgow with current employers AZ Alkmaar ahead of their Europa League playoff first leg against Celtic.
Numan was a hugely popular figure during his five-year stint at Ibrox between 1998 and 2003 and he won a remarkable ten major honours with the club.
He was one of a number of Dutch internationals who played for the Light Blues during that era and he has maintained close ties with the club ever since.
Those ties were furthered last year when 5 Stars Limited, a company he’s a director of, was named as the official supplier of Rangers Legends events.
Numan also works as a scout and is currently with Celtic’s Europa League playoff opponents AZ.
That might not seem like a position that would give you any influence around matchdays, but Numan has travelled with the Dutch club for their first-leg clash against the Hoops, which will take place on Wednesday night.
The 51-year-old was snapped leaving Glasgow Airport by SNS Group on Tuesday afternoon.
Therefore, he’s clearly playing some role in the preparations for the fixture, with manager Pascal Jansen perhaps leaning on his knowledge of Scottish football.
Numan certainly played his part in plenty of Old Firm victories and he’ll be hoping to help deal a big blow to Celtic here.
If Ange Postecoglou’s side are beaten by AZ – who finished third in the Eredivisie last season – they will face the ignominy of the Europa Conference League.
Rangers are playing Armenian champions Alashkert in their playoff and plenty of fans are calling for a key player to be dropped for an exciting 21-year-old.
