Dutch coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst is one manager of three who’ve made it onto a final Rangers shortlist as the club announce an interim coaching set-up at Ibrox.
Sky Sports are reporting that van Bronckhorst – who is currently out of work after returning to the Netherlands following a spell in China – is one of three names being considered by the Gers.
The Ibrox club held “positive” discussions with the former Gers star’s representatives and the ex-Arsenal, Barcelona and Holland star is the favourite amongst fans for the role.
However, there is some conjecture regarding who the other two candidates are with Rangers tight-lipped regarding the situation.
The Sky Sports report claims the shortlist does not include Frank Lampard – who has been out of work for almost two years since leaving Chelsea – whilst insiders have rebuffed links to the likes of Derek McInnes and Gennaro Gattuso [Follow, Follow].
Links to Bodø/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen have also been rejected by club media partner Heart & Hand.
Further talks are expected to be held today with Sky Sports claiming Rangers are “very pleased and impressed” with the shortlist.
With several names ruled out there will be some speculation regarding who the other two names on the list actually are.
GvB is a candidate but other names mentioned alongside the job and who have not yet been rebuffed include ex-Norwich boss Alex Neil, Man United coach Michael Carrick and former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman.
We cannot confirm if any of these names are included on the shortlist.
Rangers clearly won’t be rushed into new manager decision
However, for fans expecting a Monday announcement on any new deal amid rumours, Rangers media partners Follow, Follow and specifically Mark Dingwall have claimed otherwise.
“I asked the club,” said Dingwall. “No-one will be appointed tomorrow [Monday 15/11].”
Heart & Hand host David Edgar also told the platform’s Daily Update that he’d be “very surprised” if an announcement also came by Tuesday 16th.
The fact Rangers have also just announced a new interim coaching set-up also gives an inclination into the club’s patience with regards the process.
With Rangers players returning to training today ahead of the weekend’s crucial League Cup Hampden semi-final with Hibs, the Gers have announced a new short-term team.
This includes the likes of B Team manager David McCallum, B Team assistant Brian Gilmour, first-team player/coach Jermain Defoe and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.
Whilst the club’s timeline remains unclear at this stage, Rangers are quite rightly taking their time about this – within reason – to make sure the next appointment is the right one.
Should that turn out to be Gio van Bronckhorst, there have also been claims that another ex-Ibrox Dutchman could return as part of the coaching set-up.
