Rangers will hope to name their new manager sooner rather than later, and they have now held talks with another candidate, according to a new update.
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It has been a busy week at Ibrox, following the sacking of Michael Beale last weekend that arguably felt like a long time coming. The 43-year-old had increasingly struggled as manager, and while improvements were hoped for this season, the Gers appear to have gone backwards.
With Rangers already trailing Celtic by seven points in the Scottish Premiership title race, it was clear that a change was needed, and it is now vital that the club nail Beale's replacement. There have been a host of names already mentioned as the Englishman's possible successor at Ibrox, with the likes of Graham Potter, Kevin Muscat, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Pascal Jansen all mentioned at different times as the potential next Rangers manager.
It is a process that needs to be handled with so much care, ensuring that the club absolutely nail their decision, with another poor appointment threatening to set them back even further in the coming months. A new update has now emerged regarding Muscat, after previous claims in the week suggested that talks were scheduled but yet to take place with the 50-year-old.
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According to a fresh update from The Daily Record, Muscat has now "held talks over a video call" during the week, after returning to Japan following an Asian Champions League win over Shandong Taishan in China. The Australian is currently in charge of Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, and is a former Rangers player, having represented them for one season back in 2002/23, showing that he has a past knowledge of the club, and he has reportedly made it to the final round of interviewees alongside Lampard.
The report that states that others have also been interviewed for the vacant post at Ibrox, however, with Lampard meeting a "high powered Ibrox delegation in London on Wednesday night", and Derek McInnes is "another name still under serious consideration".
Muscat certainly looks like a front-runner for the Rangers job, as things stand, and he could be an exciting option, having impressed so much during his time at Yokohama to date. Muscat won the title with them in 2021/22, as well as the Super Cup, and before that, he also tasted league glory with Melbourne Victory in his homeland of Australia. The 50-year-old has even been praised by none other than Manchester City and Barcelona legend Pep Guardiola, who once lauded his style of play, saying:
"I say wow. They are dynamic in their process, the build-up, everything they do. I like it."
This is about the biggest endorsement a manager can ask for in the modern game, considering Guardiola is surely now seen as one of the best coaches of all time, and it further suggests that Muscat, who plays a 4-3-3 system, could be an excellent appointment by Rangers. Some may have reservations about him because of a lack of experience managing in Europe, but exactly the same applied to Ange Postecoglou before his spells at Celtic and Tottenham, so supporters could see Muscat as their version of him, taking the Gers to greater heights in the coming years.