Zurab Amirian's Rangers CV in focus as Philippe Clement adds to Belgian revolution reshaping Ibrox vision

The Belgian revolution is continuing apace at Rangers as highly-rated Zurab Amirian has been named as the club's new head of academy.

Philippe Clement has stressed his desire to keep a well-established link between the academy and first-team setups at Ibrox and has turned to a man he knows well from his time in his homeland to help him do it. Amirian arrives from OH Leuven, where he was head of technical development and also worked with the seniors as assistant first-team coach for a spell.

He'll work closely alongside academy director Zeb Jacobs, another of Clement's countrymen as the Belgian coaching contingent grows behind the scenes. A Rangers statement says Amirian will 'provide insights to a wealth of European clubs on modern trends in football' and will get to work immediately subject to a work permit.

As well as his renowned work at Leuven, where he created and established the talent development programme which is the envy of many in Belgium, he's also heavily involved with Double Pass - the renowned resource used by many top clubs and football associations which advises them how to get the best out of their talent.

Amirian also founded the Fido Football Academy, a youth coaching organisation in Leuven which launched in 2017. He'll join Rangers from January 1 2024 after tying up his involvement in Belgium subject to a work permit and will lead the next phase of the academy process which has recently seen Ross McCausland explode onto the first-team scene since Clement's arrival.

Speaking on Amirian's appointment, academy director Jacobs said: “We are delighted to welcome Zurab to Rangers. His appointment as Head of Academy Football is the result of a long-term recruitment process as we set out to identify an