Dave McPherson says Derek McInnes would be a good fit to rebuild Rangers

The 54-year-old is set to take charge of the Ibrox club on a three-year deal as Danny Rohl, who has been at the helm since last October, puts the finishing touches to his move to RB Salzburg.

McInnes played for Rangers for five years and, despite turning down the chance to manage the club he grew up supporting while boss of Aberdeen in 2017, he is ready to move from Hearts to Ibrox on the back of a season in which he led the Tynecastle side to the brink of William Hill Premiership glory.

A six-figure compensation fee has been agreed between the two clubs.

“Rangers need a bit of stability,” McPherson, who made 276 appearances for Gers over two spells, told the Press Association on Sunday.

“Derek’s proved – not just at Hearts, but in previous clubs he’s been at – that he can build a good team, get the best out of players, and get results, and that’s what Rangers need at the moment.

“He’d have been my choice as Rangers manager way back, but I think he’s proved even more at Hearts how good a manager he is.

“Rangers are there to be rebuilt, basically, and I think it’s a good time for a Scottish manager and a guy that’s played for Rangers to go in there and say, ‘right, I can start from the bottom up and build something big here’.

“He’s going to have some funds behind him but it will still come down to recruitment. You have to recruit the right players, and I think that’s where Rangers have failed in the past.

“If you think of the job that was done at Hearts last year, it was a fantastic set-up, and everybody wanted to play for Hearts. He got the best out of the players, and I think if he can transfer that to the Rangers job, then it’ll be a good Rangers team to watch next season.”

McPherson also had two spells at Hearts in which he made 364 appearances. The 62-year-old admits losing both captain Lawrence Shankland and, potentially, McInnes to Rangers this summer is “a massive blow” but he believes the Tynecastle club – who have exclusive access to Jamestown Analytics – are well equipped to evolve without the key duo.

“I do fancy Hearts to reinvent,” said McPherson. “I don’t have any idea who they’re going to go for, but there’s big shoes to fill there, put it that way.

“Having spoken to a lot of people at Hearts last season, they’ve got a really good set-up. They’re built in such a way that if they do lose somebody, then they’ve got things in the background that’s going to be able to replace a player or a manager, so I’ve got every confidence in Hearts doing really, really well next year again.”