Barry Ferguson ‘has chance to be Rangers manager’ as 49ers claim made at Ibrox
Barry Ferguson may still be in contention to be the permanent Rangers manager despite losing to Athletic Club in the Europa League on Thursday.
Ernesto Valverde’s team beat the Gers at San Mames on 17 April, but the visitors were knocked out of the competition after losing 2-0.
Ferguson’s hope to continue at Ibrox could potentially have increased if he had made it to the semi-finals of the European competition.
With Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises still in talks to complete their takeover of the Light Blues, the former Scotland international may have a chance of staying beyond this season.
Rangers to consider Ferguson if 49ers don’t have plan at Ibrox
Ferguson could potentially still be in contention to be the next manager at Ibrox if the US consortium don’t have a plan yet, Keith Jackson says.
The Daily Record journalist believes that the Americans will remain on their path if they’ve already made decisions before completing their takeover.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Jackson feels the interim manager could still be in the running to remain at the Gers beyond this season, though, if Cavenagh and the 49ers are only focused on getting a deal done for now.
Speaking on Hotline Live (17 April), the journalist said: “If they’ve got a plan, then nothing changes, they’ll stick to it. If they’ve not got a plan yet, and the full focus is on completing the takeover, then I think Ferguson’s still in there with a decent shout.”
Ibrox future uncertain after Athletic loss
Ferguson has endured mixed results at Ibrox since replacing Philippe Clement, but some still want to see him continue beyond this season.
The Gers icon has beaten the likes of Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers since taking interim charge, but what the US consortium do when they arrive remains to be seen.
While the Light Blues’ performances domestically have been mostly underwhelming under the 47-year-old head coach, they’ve turned up in the Europa League.
Ferguson may have been confident at Rangers after beating Fenerbahce and Celtic, but losing to Athletic could potentially lead to a managerial change at Ibrox soon.
The Bears weren’t bad against the La Liga outfit over the two legs and held them to a 0-0 draw at Ibrox despite Robin Propper’s early red card, showcasing what the interim staff are capable of.
Cyriel Dessers would arguably feel disappointed that the referee didn’t award the Glaswegian outfit a penalty at San Mames after his shirt was ripped.
The Light Blues needed a bit of luck to beat Valverde’s team, and it seemingly wasn’t on their side.
Ferguson’s situation at Ibrox will now be one to keep an eye on.