Lee McCulloch is confident Rangers manager Graeme Murty will leave Ibrox.
Former Rangers captain Lee McCulloch has told Sky Sports that he would pick Preston North End manager Alex Neil or Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke to replace Graeme Murty this summer.
Murty, 43, is likely to step down after failing to knock Celtic out of the Scottish Cup semi-final earlier this month, with the Hoops demolishing their bitter rivals 4-0.
There is still talk of Murty remaining as Rangers manager, but momentum has certainly swung in the opposite direction to the former Under-20 boss. His only saving grace remains in the form of another Old Firm derby this weekend.
The bitter rivals face off once again at Celtic Park on Sunday and a Rangers win could see Murty stand a chance of gaining the job full time. But McCulloch reckons he will be asked to step down, with Neil and Clarke his picks.
“I don’t think Graeme will be the manager next year. You’ve got the likes of Alex Neil and Steve Clarke, guys who know what the club is all about,” McCulloch said. “For me, they would be my two candidates.”
Former Hamilton boss Neil’s contract at Preston ends this summer, while former Chelsea assistant Clarke has a contract until the summer of 2020.
Rangers remain in second on goal difference after recovering well from what was a tumultuous week following the 4-0 loss to Brendan Rodgers’ side, beating Hearts 2-1 at Ibrox.
Aberdeen are level on 65 after beating Clarke’ Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, while Hibernian climb on to 62 following their excellent win over Celtic – who are now 10 points clear.
Rodgers’ side can win their seventh consecutive Scottish Premiership title on Sunday with three points, but a loss would reduce the gap to seven points at the top.
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