Kevin Muscat is reportedly on the brink of becoming the new manager of Rangers, as he enters into contract discussions with the club’s American owners. The former Gers defender was interviewed for the role earlier this week, following a strong backlash from fans over suggestions that Danny Rohl was the favourite to succeed Russell Martin. Steven Gerrard was the club’s first choice before he turned down the opportunity to return to Ibrox.
Rohl is understood to be awaiting further contact after presenting his credentials to owner Andrew Cavenagh and is assembling plans for a backroom team which would feature a key role for former stalwart Steven Davis. However, while Rohl remains in the running, rumours that Gerrard has returned to the negotiation table are false, despite the odds for his potential return being dramatically reduced.
Muscat, meanwhile, has taken a significant stride towards securing the job he nearly clinched two years ago, according to the Daily Record.
His own right-hand man, Neil McCann, is already prepared to step back into the dugout in time to lead the team for Saturday’s top flight match against Dundee United.
Muscat is currently striving to secure a second consecutive Chinese Super League title with Shanghai Port and the exact timing of his potential release remains uncertain.
He still has one more year left on his contract with the Asian heavyweights, and Rangers may need to pay a compensation fee of around £1.5m to terminate that deal.
Insiders believe that Shanghai Port officials have been informed about the interest from Scotland in the last 24 hours and have already begun the process of finding Muscat’s successor.
Stevie Smith has taken over first-team training at Rangers this week, as the countdown begins to the restart of the domestic season following the latest international break.
Cavenagh and his board would prefer someone with more experience to manage the upcoming match against Dundee United and McCann is ready to step in at the last minute.
He had previously been identified by Muscat as the perfect right-hand man during the process that eventually led to Philippe Clement’s appointment in October 2023.
And now, McCann may have to keep the manager’s seat warm for his former Ibrox teammate before settling into a permanent role as Muscat’s assistant.
This suggests that an announcement confirming Muscat’s appointment could be made before Friday, even though Rohl has not yet given up.