Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has been made the favourite by bookmakers to take over at Ibrox.
The Scottish Sun has reported that Alex McLeish is now the new favourite to take over at Rangers as a move for Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes is yet to materialise.
McLeish, 58, is currently out of work after last standing in the dugout at Egyptian giants Zamalek in 2016. The Scotsman managed Scottish giants Rangers for five years between 2001 and 2006.
If the former Birmingham City and Aston Villa boss is serious about taking over for a second time at Ibrox, then he should already be drawing up a shortlist of potential January targets.
Rangers are in a desperate position where they need players that can be trusted to perform on a regular basis, rather than bringing players that are unproven in British football – like former manager Pedro Caixinha has done.
That should convince McLeish to target players he knows inside out. During his time at Nottingham Forest, McLeish worked with ex-Arsenal ace Henri Lansbury and his midfield creativity is just what the Gers need.
The 27-year-old, currently at Aston Villa, has plummeted down the pecking order under Steve Bruce this season, making just four Championship appearances throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
He sits behind the likes of Mile Jedinak, Conor Hourihane, Glenn Whelan and Josh Onomah, and could be looking for an escape route with the January transfer window less than six weeks away.
Playing in either holding midfield or the number 10 role, Lansbury has shone in the English Championship by scoring 42 goals and adding 31 assists in 249 second-tier appearances.
That creativity and eye for goal would be crucial if Rangers could lure him to Glasgow and use him as a number 10 in front of Graham Dorrans and Ryan Jack, improving the side’s attacking threat twice over.
McLeish will have limited funds at Ibrox, but a loan move looks much more likely as Lansbury will not want to remain on the sidelines for the entire 2017-18 season. A reunion with McLeish could be the combination that sees the Gers spark into life.
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