Neil is the new favourite to succeed Mark Warburton at Rangers, after the Englishman’s acrimonious departure from Ibrox earlier this month.
Norwich City boss Alex Neil has emerged as the new bookies’ favourite to succeed Mark Warburton at Glasgow Rangers.
The Belshill native has endured a mixed spell in East Anglia, taking the Canaries into the Premier League and back again before this season’s ongoing battle for the Championship’s top six.
With many Norwich fans losing patience, not to mention the widespread reports which tipped Neil for the axe earlier in the campaign, it is perhaps not unrealistic to imagine the 35-year-old making the move to Rangers – whose former players, incidentally, are in no short supply at Carrow Road.
But could any of them follow Neil to Glasgow this summer? We at HITC have assessed their chances:
Steven Whittaker
A regular in Neil’s promotion winning side two seasons ago, the 32-year-old has featured more infrequently since then and it remains to be seen whether Norwich will take up their option to extend his contract by a further year when it expires this summer. Nevertheless, Whittaker was recently restored to his fellow Scot’s plans and a player of his experience is sure to appeal to Neil, should he take the reins at Ibrox.
Chances of being a Rangers player next season? 6/10
Kyle Lafferty
Unlike with Whittaker, Norwich are not thought to have an option to extend Lafferty’s contract, which also expires at the end of the campaign. And that could give Rangers their most realistic shot yet of landing the 29-year-old striker, who was with a return to Glasgow last summer. Neil has not been Lafferty’s biggest fan these past few years, although that perhaps says more about the quality of options available to him at Carrow Road.
Chances of being a Rangers player next season? 7/10
Steven Naismith
The 30-year-old would be without question the most difficult of the three to prise from Norwich, who paid £8 million to sign him in January 2016. Again, Neil has failed to use Naismith as often as the player would have liked, but was convinced enough by his ability to sign him in the first place, and were a return to Rangers ever to become a serious possibility it is unlikely the former Hamilton boss would object.
Chances of being a Rangers player next season? 2/10
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