Who could replace Van Bronckhorst at Rangers?

Sean Dyche, seen here managing Burnley against Aberdeen in 2018, is out of work

A year on from Steven Gerrard's departure for Aston Villa, Rangers are once again looking for a new manager.

Rangers have more than three weeks until their next engagement, against Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, so who could take over the managerial reins?

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A returning hero?

Steven Gerrard was a popular appointment at Ibrox in 2018 and remained so despite a lack of trophies in his first two seasons in charge.

The Englishman, in his first managerial role, eventually ousted Celtic in the title race in season 2020-21 and soon departed for Aston Villa.

Villa Park proved to be a less enjoyable destination for the former England captain, with the Midlands club calling time on his spell in charge after 11 months.

Michael Beale and Steven Gerrard worked together at Rangers and Aston Villa

A significant blow for Gerrard was losing Michael Beale from his coaching staff in the summer as Beale moved into the manager's position at Queens Park Rangers.

Ibrox fans may regard a return for Gerrard as a safe option given his knowledge of the club and much of the current squad as well as his record in European matches, while others may see it as a backwards step and express concern at Beale's absence.

Another familiar face?

Beale has made such an impression in his first few months as QPR manager that Wolves expressed interest in him before appointing Julen Lopetegui.

Beale's tactical nous made him a valued part of the Gerrard backroom team at Ibrox as Rangers went from being the third best team in the country, to second and eventually first while making strides in the Europa League.

However, Beale has already distanced himself from a Premier League move, which indicates a sense of loyalty to QPR, who are well placed to push for promotion from the Championship.

And both Gerrard and Beale are back in their homeland raising families. A return north would be somewhat of an upheaval.

A Premier League boss out of work?

Sean Dyche is a name that had been touted for the Rangers job even before Van Bronckhorst left.

Dyche recently discussed his connection with Rangers director of football Ross Wilson and hinted he wanted to attend an Old Firm game.

However, in the same interview the Englishman stated his belief there is still "a window" for him to return to Premier League management, having left Burnley late last season.

The appeal of Dyche to Rangers supporters may lie in his more conservative footballing style. Though Rangers have scored in all but one of their domestic games this season, they have become a soft touch defensively.

Like Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, success in Scotland can lead to a Premier League appointment, the timing of which is not always ideal for either of Glasgow's big two.

The wildcard?

Kjetil Knutsen enjoyed 3-1 and 2-0 wins against Celtic

Kjetil Knutsen was linked with Rangers around the time of Van Bronckhorst's appointment.

Not much was known about the Norwegian then and that remains the case.

However, he has made an impression on Scottish football within the past year.

His Bodo/Glimt side beat Celtic in Glasgow and in Norway last season in the Europa Conference League's initial knockout phase.

However, Knutsen recently played down links with any club after Bodo/Glimt missed out on a third straight Eliteserien title by finishing second.

A worthy foe for Postecoglou?

Kevin Muscat is not a name synonymous with Rangers but he did help the Ibrox side win all three domestic trophies in his solitary season in Glasgow.

The hard tackling Australian's name has come to the fore in recent weeks because of his connection to Celtic manager Postecoglou.

Muscat was Postecoglou's assistant at Melbourne Victory and took over as manager after the latter's move into international management with Australia.

The former defender enjoyed trophy success with the Victory and continued his association with Postecoglou with the national team.

A less successful spell with Belgian side Sint-Truidense followed but Muscat replaced Postecoglou as Yokohama F Marinos manager, emulating Postecoglou's title success in Japan.

Currently, Rangers have two major problems - their own form and Celtic's strength. Appointing Muscat may be an attempt to address both.

Views of former pros

Former Rangers striker Kenny Miller

It's a wonderful job and there's a good group of players there. Number one for me, would be Michael Beale. He's made a really good start at QPR and he knows the club, so there wouldn't be any surprises. He would be a popular appointment and I'd be surprised if he's not high on the list of targets.

Ex-Rangers player-manager Graeme Souness on TalkSPORT

Would the supporters be happy with Steven Gerrard going back? I'm not sure. I think they think he left them at a difficult time.

Ex-Rangers midfielder and youth coach Kevin Thomson

If people are questioning the job, they're not the right man for the job. Rangers need to find a manager that's used to winning. It's totally different from dealing with a team that fights and avoids relegation and wins a game a month. At Rangers, you need to be able to win every game. No Rangers team will but you need to have a manager that can handle that pressure.

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