Kevin Muscat has reportedly entered into contract negotiations with the Rangers’ American owner and is on the verge of becoming the Rangers’ new manager. The former Gers defender was interviewed for the role earlier this week, following strong backlash from fans over suggestions that Danny Rohr was a potential successor to Russell Martin. Steven Gerrard was the club’s first choice until he turned down the chance to return to Ibrox.
Rolle is understood to be waiting for further communication after presenting his qualifications to owner Andrew Kavenagh, and is assembling plans for a behind-the-scenes team, with former executive Stephen Davis playing a key role. However, rumors that Gerrard has returned to the negotiating table are false, although the chances of Gerrard returning to the negotiating table have diminished dramatically while Rohr remains a candidate.
Meanwhile, Mr Muscat has made significant progress towards securing the job he almost won two years ago, the Daily Record reports.
His own right-hand man, Neil McCann, is already set to return to the dugout in time to lead the team for Saturday’s top-flight game against Dundee United.
Muscat is currently aiming for a second consecutive Chinese Super League title with Shanghai Port, but the exact timing of his possible release remains unclear.
He still has a year left on his contract with the Asian giants and Rangers may have to pay around £1.5m in compensation to get him out of the deal.
Officials believe the Shanghai Port Authority has been informed of the Scottish interest within the past 24 hours and has already begun the process of finding Muscat’s successor.
Stevie Smith took over first-team training at Rangers this week as the countdown to the restart of the domestic season begins after the latest international break.
Cavenagh and the board want someone with more experience in charge for the next game against Dundee United, with McCann ready to step in as a last-minute substitute.
He was previously identified by Muscat newspaper as the perfect right-hand man in the process that ultimately led to the appointment of Philippe Clément in October 2023.
And now McCann may need to warm up the manager’s chair 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 by Friday, even if Roll has not given up yet.
