Michel Preud’homme is one of the most underrated managers around – so Rangers have a real decision to make.
Just seven months after that ill-fated decision to replace Mark Warburton with Pedro Caixinha, the Rangers board is once again facing up to the daunting prospect of hiring another new manager.
The Daily Record reports that Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes is the club’s first-choice, but Rangers would be forced to pay a rather hefty compensation fee to their Scottish Premiership rivals in luring the 45-year-old to Ibrox. Rather helpfully, then, another highly-rated tactician appears to have thrown his hat into the ring.
The Daily Record claims that Michel Preud’homme is very interested in the vacant managerial role at Ibrox and has already held talks with chairman Dave King. The agent of the former Belgium goalkeeper has also confirmed that his 58-year-old client has put a job offer from Jupiler League side Mechelen on hold until he hears back from Rangers.
And if you wanted an indication of just how highly rated Preud’homme is on the continent, none other than Louis Van Gaal has urged Holland to snap up the former Club Brugge manager to lead the crisis-ridden Oranje back to the top of the European game.
“At the KNVB (Dutch football association) you do not buy players, so you have to train them, so you need to know how to stimulate children of six, eight or ten years to get the ultimate in a world that changes,” Van Gaal said in quotes reported by the Scottish Sun.
“So, in search of a new technical director, I would focus on the best coach – someone who would stay with the KNVB for ten years. Michel Preud’homme has been a manager and has experience as a coach too. Maybe he could the foreigner we need for the job.”
Preud’homme has an excellent record in Belgium, guiding Standard Liege to their first league title in 25 years in 2008 before ending an 11-year barren run at Club Brugge in 2016.
He has also won Belgium’s manager of the year award on three occasions.
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