Kevin Muscat gets Ferguson seal of approval as twist emerges on right-hand man
Rangers finally appear to be closing in on the appointment of a new manager, with Kevin Muscat now the frontrunner.
Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe have had to pivot their search for Russell Martin’s successor after Steven Gerrard rejected the Rangers job over the weekend.
News emerged on Tuesday that Muscat is edging closer to becoming Rangers’ next manager, albeit nothing has been formally agreed yet with the Shanghai Port boss.
However, Muscat will not officially take over Rangers until late November when the Chinese Super League season concludes.
Kevin Muscat already has ideal right-hand man lined up
Muscat having to delay managing Rangers for another month is of course not ideal given the Gers’ current struggles.
But it has been reported that Neil McCann, who worked as a coach at Rangers at the tail end of last season, could take over as interim manager before becoming Muscat’s assistant.
And in the view of Derek Ferguson, the brother of recent Rangers caretaker Barry Ferguson, that is a move that makes total sense.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, Ferguson said: “If Muscat can only come in in a month’s time, well you have someone like Neil McCann who only recently worked here as a coach alongside Barry.
“That scenario worked because Barry was a figurehead who had to stand in front of the press, but Neil did a lot of hard work on the training ground as well.
“So if McCann takes over for a month or so, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Would the fans feel the same way? You have to remember McCann has been a manager in his own right.
“He did an okay job at Dundee. When he speaks, people listen, and he’s not someone you’d mess with. If that’s the scenario, I would have no problem with that.”
McCann managed Dundee in the 2017-18 season, while he also had a spell as interim boss of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2021.
Muscat finally set to land Rangers manager’s job
It seems that every time the Rangers job has become vacant in recent times, Muscat has been touted as a target for Ibrox chiefs.
Well the former Gers player finally looks set to land the job this time around if the growing speculation is anything to go by.
| Club | Games in charge | Win rate |
| Melbourne Victory (caretaker) | 1 | 100% |
| Melbourne Victory (permanent) | 214 | 49% |
| Sint-Truiden | 15 | 13% |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 116 | 58% |
| Shanghai Port | 77 | 65% |
Again, that is something Ferguson would welcome.
“He has always been in the picture when Rangers have been looking for a manager over the past three or four years now,” Ferguson said.
“He’s another who knows the club and has good contacts; he’s also won a few things in China. As a player we know exactly what he was like – you don’t mess with him.
“You’d imagine that’s the type of manager he is as well. So he’s a name that cries out to me.”
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