Rangers will appoint Giovanni van Bronckhorst to succeed Steven Gerrard as Manager

The Rangers have appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst as the new manager of the club, it was announced on Thursday.

Van Bronckhorst played for the Rangers from 1998 to 2001, winning two league championships and a domestic Treble, followed by Steven Gerrard on Ibrox.

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The former Dutch captain, who also represented Feyenoord, Arsenal and Barcelona during his glittering career, will become the 17th permanent manager of the Rangers if he gets a work permit.

In his first position as manager, Van Bronckhorst led Feyenoord to the Eredivis Championship in 2017, won two Dutch Cups and oversaw his return to the Champions League group stage.

After leaving his boys ’club in 2019, Van Bronckhorst took over the leadership of the Chinese Super League Guangzhou R&F, but resigned for less than a year.

“I’m really excited to be able to return to the Rangers as the club’s new manager,” Van Bronckhorst said. on the club’s official website.

🇳🇱 #WelcomeGVB | @The_real_Gio

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– Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 18, 2021

“I am so lucky to be working with a team that is in an excellent position on all fronts and has a largely winning experience.

“I look forward to continuing and intensifying the work already done alongside Ross Wilson and the club board, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work in this huge football club again.

“I can’t wait to get back to the club’s amazing supporters and start this new era for all of us.”

Van Bronckhorst, 46, played 117 matches in the Rangers over three seasons and was part of the 1998-99 Treble winning side.

He will take over the team at the top of the Scottish Premier League table four points away from rival Celtic.

Under Gerrard, the Rangers won the league championship for the first time in ten years last season, but the former Liverpool captain has since joined the Premier League Aston Villa.

The Rangers will play against Hibernian in the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup on Sunday before hosting Sparta Prague in a crucial European League group stage match on Thursday, with both teams competing in the playoffs.

As a player, Van Bronckhorst won 106 Netherlands matches and was the country captain for the 2010 World Cup final.

He won the Premier League championship with Arsenal in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006, as well as two LaLiga crowns.

Van Bronckhorst is believed to have been Rangers’ first choice since Gerrard’s departure.