Rangers can't lose with Clement or Muscat as Alex McLeish gives new boss a task to get flops firing again

Alex McLeish reckons Rangers will be on to a winner with either Philippe Clement or Kevin Muscat.

The race to replace Michael Beale has now boiled down to a two-horse race, with former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco coach Clement the slight favourite to pip Yokohama gaffer Muscat to the job. However, Ibrox insiders last night insisted a decision has still to be reached, with discussions ongoing after chairman John Bennett and chief exec James Bisgrove held talks with both hopefuls this week during a second round of interviews.

But former Rangers boss McLeish has been impressed by both candidates’ CVs after watching them lift titles in three different countries. Clement is a free agent after being sacked by Monaco over the summer but before joining the Ligue 1 giants, the 49-year-old celebrated capturing a Belgian crown with Big Eck’s old Genk side and went on to lift two more at Club Brugge.

Muscat - who McLeish signed for Rangers in 2002 - also has league winning experience. The Australian took over from Ange Postecoglou at Melbourne Victory and guided the A-League outfit to a pair of Grand Final triumphs.

And he did the same in Japan with the Marinos, where he is currently on course to make it back-to-back titles with another of Postecoglou’s old sides. And Eck reckons Gers can’t lose with two high-calibre coaches to pick from.

He said: “Philippe’s achievement in Belgium was fantastic. For any manager to do that in any league, it’s a hard bloody game being the head man at a football club. I don’t care what league it is, if you win trophies like that you deserve massive credit.

“Brugge had a good reputation for developing players but that comes from within the club as well. If Rangers have younger players who deserve to