Gary Rowett comments on 2017 Rangers job interview, won’t rule out future Ibrox move

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Rangers took the shock decision to appoint Pedro Caixinha as their manager in 2017 – and seemingly picked him ahead of Gary Rowett.

Mark Warburton had left the club under bizarre circumstances, and Rangers strangely went for Caixinha, who had been in charge of Al-Gharafa.

Caixinha lasted just seven months at Ibrox, and the Gers ended up appointing Steven Gerrard as their long-term boss.

Yet if we go back three-and-a-half years, Rangers could have gone in another direction, with Rowett targeted.

Rowett had impressed in charge of Birmingham City, and interviewed for the Rangers job before ending up at Derby County, Stoke City and now Millwall.

The 46-year-old has established himself as a solid Championship boss, and has certainly impressed in less than a year at Millwall.

Rowett has now told The Scottish Mail on Sunday (20/09, p145) that he was excited by the prospect of becoming Rangers boss, given their fan base and the expectation levels there.

Rowett added that his interview was ‘bizarre’ because he sensed Rangers had already settled on Caixinha, but wouldn’t rule out going for the Rangers job again in the future.

“For me, it was an exciting one because I’d just left Birmingham, done a good job there and thought I’d probably get a good Championship job next,” said Rowett. “So it was then hard to look at Rangers and not be really tempted by the fact you’d have 50,000 fans behind you. With the crowds, the games up there and the expectation, it’s obviously a hugely exciting opportunity for someone.”

“It certainly was something that I was really interested in. I sat down with them for an interview but I found it all a bit bizarre, if I’m being honest. I got the feeling they might already have made their minds up. I’m to sure how close I came. I think I came down to the last two – and Caixinha got the job. But I think Rangers are in good hands at the moment with Steven Gerrard. I’ll be watching the title battle this year really closely. For me, maybe another time…” he added.