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As Rangers approach another summer of pre-season preparation and European qualifiers, the last thought on anyone’s mind is replacing Steven Gerrard.
The 2018/19 season may have been another trophyless one for the club but there was tangible progress made on and off the field, spearheaded by the Liverpool legend.
It feels like his project at Ibrox is only just beginning.
Still, it is fun to glance ahead at the far flung future and consider what managers might be available when Gerrard does one day leave Glasgow.
That’s especially true when a talented coach and playing legend such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits to a Scottish newspaper such as The Sunday Post that it would be an honour to become manager at Rangers.
Does he have what it takes to one day take charge at Ibrox?
Watch the video below to find out which derbies the Pl>ymaker squad have picked as the most entertaining, fierce and passionate in the world…
On the chalkboard
The 44-year-old has only had one management job in his career to date, at boyhood club Feyenoord, where he’s spent four very successful seasons and won multiple trophies.
Implementing an exciting 4-3-3 system, he guided the Dutch giants to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in 2016/17, becoming a managerial legend at the club as well as a playing one.
He’s now left Feyenoord having announced in January he was seeking new challenges heading into next season and he’s likely to have plenty of suitors considering the improvement he brought to the Eredivisie outfit and the fact he played at an elite level with some of the world’s biggest clubs, winning the biggest trophies in the game.
What did he say about Rangers?
As reported by The Sunday Post, the 44-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Rangers as manager when Mark Warburton left the club, although nothing came of the rumours.
Van Bronckhorst did acknowledge those links recently though, telling the paper:
“To be the manager of Rangers is a huge honour, of course. I’ve been linked with it once or twice, and that was very nice.
“It’s a great football club and has a special feeling in my heart. So it was a huge compliment. But I was totally committed and focused on Feyenoord.
“You never know what may happen in the future, and we all know that it is never wise to try to predict where your career may take you. You never know what happens because I know the club and have nice feelings for it.
“But it’s important for everyone to support Steven and the players next season. That is the only focus.”
While obviously not touting himself for an immediate move to Glasgow, it does appear he holds a candle for one day becoming manager in Govan, which would undoubtedly be a massive coup for the club unless his managerial stock falls into the gutter.
An Ibrox icon
Three years of van Bronckhorst’s playing career of course came at Ibrox where he won the treble in 1998/99 and the double in 1999/00. It was a phenomenal time to be a Rangers supporter and the then-midfielder was a massive part of it, making 116 appearances in total.
That Rangers background as well as his trophy winning success with Feyenoord clearly makes him a viable candidate for any future vacant manager position at Ibrox.
Given he spoke so fondly of the club over the weekend, he’s a name to keep in mind for Rangers moving forward.
There aren’t many coaches that have as much talent and such experience who would be interested in moving to Ibrox and should the day come for Gerrard to move on, we already know who the favourite should be.