Giovanni van Bronckhorst backed to ‘bring success to Rangers’ if appointed

The former Gers, Arsenal and Barcelona player is thought to head a three-man shortlist to replace Steven Gerrard.

Club sources stated on Tuesday that there were candidates whose names have not been mentioned in the public domain.

Former Everton and Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman subsequently appeared high up in the betting for the role although some reports say he is not under consideration.

Van Bronckhorst has appeared the obvious choice from the start given his association with Ibrox and his previous managerial success.

The 46-year-old led Feyenoord to their first Dutch title in 18 years in 2017 and also enjoyed two KNVB Cup triumphs.

He is available immediately after ending a 12-month spell in China at the end of last year.

Van Bronckhorst’s former Rangers and Holland team-mate Arthur Numan believes he could build on last season’s title success.

Numan wrote in his column on the 5Stars app: “He is a talented manager and a very good person. He also does have Rangers in his heart and he speaks very fondly about his time at Ibrox.

“If an agreement can be reached between Rangers and Giovanni then I think we would be getting someone who will continue to bring success to Rangers.”

The arrival of a private jet from Amsterdam at Glasgow Airport heightened Rangers’ fans expectations on Tuesday afternoon with reports claiming the flight was met by Ibrox security staff.

Gers face Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals on Sunday and then Sparta Prague in a crucial Europa League encounter four days later.