Rangers are searching for a new manager after Pedro Caixinha’s exit.
18 Mar 2000: Giovanni van Bronckhorst in action for Rangers
Rangers’ search for a new manager continues, after sacking Pedro Caixinha last month – and Giovanni van Bronckhorst is receiving greater consideration today.
The Gers parted ways with Caixinha in October, bringing his seven-month reign at Ibrox to an end following a 1-1 home draw with Kilmarnock, in a chaotic game which summed up the Portuguese’s problems at Ibrox.
Caretaker boss Graeme Murty is off to a strong start with a 3-1 win at Hearts and 3-0 victory over Partick Thistle, but a host of managers are being linked with the position, with Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes still the bookmakers favourite.
However, as seen on Sky Bet, Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has had his odds slashed all the way down to 13/8, making him the second favourite for the job and a possible Ibrox return.
Van Bronckhorst, 42, joined Rangers from Feyenoord back in 1998, and scored 22 goals in 117 games for the Gers before signing for Arsenal in 2001, eventually ending his playing career back with Feyenoord in 2010.
The former left back has turned his hand to coaching in recent years, and was appointed as Feyenoord manager back in the summer of 2015, and now boasts a win rate of more than 61%.
After winning the KNVB Beker in 2016, Van Bronckhorst surprisingly led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title earlier this year, pipping Ajax and PSV to the crown whilst winning their first title since 1999, ending an 18-year drought.
That made Van Bronckhorst even more of a hero at De Kuip, and whilst he would have hoped to kick on this season despite losing Terence Kongolo, Rick Karsdorp and Eljero Elia, Feyenoord are struggling.
Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst celebrates winning the Eredivisie title
Feyenoord currently sit sixth in the Eredivisie table with 18 points from 11 games, leaving them a huge 12 points behind a rampant PSV Eindhoven side in the race for the title, whilst they sit bottom of their Champions League group with no points from four games.
Rangers would have stood little to no chance of landing Van Bronckhorst after his title-winning season, but with Feyenoord now struggling, this may be their best chance of handing the Dutchman a return to Ibrox, over 16 years since his exit.
A move away from De Kuip, where Van Bronckhorst has been revered for much of his career in football, still seems a little unlikely, but the right offer from Rangers could just tempt him into returning to Glasgow in an attempt to chase down Celtic.
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