Philippe Clement appointed Rangers manager as Belgian 'excited by chance for success' after replacing Michael Beale

Philippe Clement has been appointed as the new manager of Rangers, becoming the club's 19th permanent boss.

The former Club Brugge and Monaco boss has signed a deal to fill the vacant Ibrox hotseat after Michael Beale was axed last weekend. Clement shot to the top of the shortlist for Rangers chairman John Bennett and CEO James Bisgrove who moved with haste to appoint the 49-year-old boss with reported interest in his services coming from Saudi Arabia in the form of a bumper offer from Shabab. Nevertheless, the Belgian will now be the man tasked with challenging champions Celtic and bringing silverware to Ibrox.

Clement has a popular name with Rangers fans for the role and fought off strong competition from former Ibrox man and current Yokohama Marinos boss Kevin Muscat. He told the club's website: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers Football Club and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity. I am hugely excited by this chance to achieve success at one of Europe’s most iconic clubs across four competitions in what remains of this season and beyond.

“I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”

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