Giovanni van Bronckhorst is a strong contender to to take the vacant managers job at Rangers, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell reports.
The position was vacated by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who took over as Aston Villa head coach on Thursday, November 11.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Said to Be In Good Position to Take Over at Rangers
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers History and Career So Far
The 46-year-old played for Rangers between 1998 and 2001 and is said to have expressed an interest in returning to Ibrox as manager.
Van Bronckhorst started coaching shortly after his retirement that followed the Netherlands’ run to the World Cup final in 2010.
He initially spent four years as Feyenoord’s assistant manager before leading the team from 2015 to 2019, winning the Eredivisie in 2016/17. Van Bronckhorst also guided the club to two KNVB cup successes, with the addition of two Johan Cruyff Shield’s.
His most recent spell came in China with Guangzhou R&F though he quit to return to his family after an 11th place finish in the Chinese Super League.
Van Bronckhorst initially joined Rangers with fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat taking over as manager. He enjoyed winning two Scottish titles, two Scottish cup’s and a Scottish League cup during his three-year stint before Arsenal Wenger signed him for Arsenal.
Task at Hand
Rangers are currently top of the Scottish Premiership, four points clear of Glasgow rivals Celtic. They’ve lost just one game in the league this season and face Hibernian at Hampden Park in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Sunday, November 21, in what could be the new manager’s first game in charge.
They are also in a fairly good position in the Europa League group stage – third, behind Lyon and Sparta Prague, but only behind the latter on head-to-head.
A trip to Livingston’s Tony Macaroni Arena is the likely starting point in the league for any new manager – that game takes place on November 28.
The Athletic reports Van Bronckhorst, or anyone else who takes the hot seat, will likely bring two assistants with him,
The new manager is unlikely to be Derek McInnes, who rejected the job in 2017, as he is not understood to be in the running.
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