Youssouf Mulumbu was ‘honoured’ by Rangers links; now he could haunt them

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Rangers reportedly tried to sign Kilmarnock’s Youssouf Mulumbu last summer before he joined Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.

Youssouf Mulumbu has a history when it comes to leaving Rangers bloodied and beaten.

Kilmarnock took three points off the Glasgow giants twice last season, winning 2-1 at Rugby Park in December before sealing a 1-0 success at Ibrox in March.

Mulumbu was arguably the best player on the pitch on both occasions, dominating the centre of the park with his blend of combativeness and technical quality.

So, with Mulumbu set to return to Killie’s starting XI for their Scottish Cup clash away at Rangers on Wednesday night, after missing Sunday’s defeat at parent club Celtic, expect the 32-year-old to play a major role.

In an interesting subplot, the Mail claimed it was Rangers who wanted to sign Mulumbu last summer before his ill-fated move to Celtic, and subsequent return to Ayrshire on loan.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s an honour to have my name linked with those teams,” the former West Brom midfielder told the Scottish Sun last year when speculation over a move to Ibrox intensified.

“I’m proud of that.”

Ten months after making those comments, Mulumbu could now come back to haunt Rangers as he has two reasons to knock Steven Gerrard’s side out of the cup – to aid Kilmarnock’s progression and to boost his popularity at Celtic Park.

Time will tell if the veteran once again shows Rangers what they are missing. He outclassed their midfield before and, if he does so again, it will not look good.