Kyle Lafferty thinks Michael Beale is the ‘brains behind’ Rangers

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Rangers allowed Kyle Lafferty to leave the club in 2019 – and he has now been speaking about his second stint with the club.

The striker first joined Rangers back in 2008, scoring 38 goals in 138 games during his four years with the club before heading on to Sion in 2012.

Lafferty’s superb stint at Hearts prompted Rangers to re-sign him in 2018, but he managed just five goals in 24 appearances under Steven Gerrard.

The Northern Irishman finds himself as a free agent once again having left Sunderland this summer, and has now spoken to Si Ferry on Open Goal about his second spell at Ibrox.

Lafferty was a little coy on his personal relationship with Gerrard, but couldn’t speak highly enough of Rangers first team coach Michael Beale.

Lafferty believes that Beale is the ‘man behind it’ at Rangers, and whilst he thinks Gerrard is an ‘amazing’ manager, he believes that little would change if Gerrard left for Liverpool and Beale took over as manager.

The ex-Chelsea and Sao Paulo man was praised for being ‘amazing’ tactically and do detail-oriented, with Lafferty backing him to become Rangers manager if Gerrard departs any time soon.

“The longer I was there I started to realise, Michael Beale, I think he’s the man behind it,” said Lafferty. “No disrespect to Steven Gerrard, because I think he’s an amazing manager, where he has taken the club from day one to now is night and day – he’s made Rangers a force again in Scotland and Europe, but Michael Beale is behind the scenes and I think he’s the brains behind it. Tactically he’s amazing.”

“I think if Steven Gerrard went – and everyone knows he’s lined up for Liverpool at some stage – if he went to Liverpool and Michael Beale stayed there, I think wouldn’t be a change. I think Michael Beale is into everything, detail and he could probably step up to be manager because he’s that good,” he added.

Beale hasn’t been a first-team manager himself yet, but with such huge praise from Lafferty, some may be viewing him as a managerial option in the future.