Shanghai Port boss Kevin Muscat was left “disappointed” by Rangers after being turned down for the job before Philippe Clement’s appointment.
That is according to ally Craig Moore – who all but ruled out the Australian swapping the Chinese Super League for the Scottish Premiership amid speculation over Clement’s long-term future at Ibrox. Muscat was interviewed for the Rangers hot seat after Michael Beale was axed following two successful seasons with Yokohama F. Marinos – but the decision-makers at Ibrox opted to go with the Belgian.
After a lacklustre campaign Clement is now under massive pressure from the Light Blues’ support – while Muscat has lifted the Chinese FA Cup following on from a Super League title victory. He is now eyeing success in the Asian Champions League with Shanghai having taken a massive step towards the knockout phase with a 3-1 win over Korean side Ulsan in Tuesday.
Asked if he could still see Muscat coming back, Moore told the Go Radio Football Show: “He is doing brilliantly. His Asian experience is going to continue. I don’t see how anything would fall into place. I think there is only one option if Rangers pull the trigger, and it’s a domestic option of Derek McInnes.”
Pressed on if Muscat got the call would he consider it: “At this moment in time he has just finished a Champions League game, they won 3-1 , so they have still got games and focus. I don’t think that phone call is going to happen. The reality is Kevin Muscat was extremely keen on the job when he interviewed for the job twice before Philippe Clement got the job. There has been no conversations ongoing, even during this period.”
Host Paul Cooney then asked if Muscat was “annoyed” he was snubbed for the Belgian boss, the former Rangers captain added: “I think anyone who interviews for a job and doesn’t get it is disappointed. He was disappointed, because he believed he could close the gap and change things. That opportunity wasn’t available to Kevin and it was available to Philippe. “
While Clement faces increased scrutiny going into the Europa League clash with Nice, a former Manchester United executive has offered and insight on the man that could decide his future. Incoming CEO Partick Stewart will check in at Ibrox the day after the Premier Sports Cup final clash with Celtic with a packed in-tray.
And the former Old Trafford chief – who is currently employed by another Premier League club and asked not to be named by The Herald – claims he will not be concerned about making the “big calls” in Govan: “Whenever you met him he was down to earth. It was just like dealing with any other colleague.
“Don’t get me wrong, he is very sharp. You had to be on your toes, you had to know what you were talking about and doing. But there was never any sense of ‘I’d better not voice an opinion here because he’s the CEO’. I really liked dealing with him.
“At the same time, I don’t think he’ll be scared to make big calls when they are needed either. He is a heavyweight player. When you’re general counsel at United, you’re one of the key advisors within the club. You advise the board and the chief executive.
“You’re across all issues, whether it’s financial, player related, commercial. He has dealt with the legal aspects of all those areas.
“He certainly knows player contracts, how that world operates as well, which is going to be important at Rangers. On top of all that, he knows Glasgow and knows Scottish football as well. He is plugged in to what is going on.”