The 2 Kevin Muscat qualities that Rangers NEED in next manager as 'hard man' reputation left behind in dugout

Ruthless and relentless. Those are the words that come to Steven McGarry’s mind when asked to describe Kevin Muscat and they sound very much like the very qualities Rangers will be looking for in a new manager.

Muscat, who won a Treble under Alex McLeish at Ibrox in 2002/03, has emerged as the frontrunner to be Michael Beale ’s replacement two decades later. The 50-year-old developed a reputation as a hard as nails defender during a career that included spells at Wolves and Millwall as well as Rangers, but it was in the twilight as a player back in his homeland that he first crossed paths with former St Mirren, Motherwell and Ross County midfielder McGarry.

The Scot was playing for Perth Glory, Muscat for Melbourne Victory and what struck McGarry was the current Yokohama Marinos manager’s leadership qualities on the field, which were to be carried into a coaching career under Ange Postecoglou ’s wing shortly afterwards. McGarry, who still lives and coaches in Perth, told Record Sport : “When I first came over here in 2010, Kevin was still a player for Melbourne Victory and I played against him.

“He hadn’t changed too much. He was a hardy guy, but even in the latter stages of his career, he was fit and you could tell he was a manager in the making because of the way he was organising the guys around him and demanding standards. He was basically coaching on the pitch.

“So we all knew he had that coach inside him, even though he was still a player. Big Ange brought him onto his coaching staff at Melbourne Victory and Kevin got the job when Ange moved on to manage Australia. He did pretty well, winning a couple of A-League championships and an FFA Cup. He also won a Coach of the Year award in Australia, so he was very