Real Madrid coach with similarities to Steven Gerrard tipped to be next Rangers manager

Scottish Sun

12-05-2025

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STEVEN Gerrard remains the favourite amongst bookies to end up back in the Ibrox dugout.
But a former Premiership manager has thrown a new name in the hat for the Rangers job which he thinks draws similarities to appointing the Liverpool legend.
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Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti has been touted for the Rangers job
Credit: Alamy
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He's followed his father, Carlo, to a number of elite clubs
Credit: Getty
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Dundee United manager Tam Courts knows Davide well
Credit: Willie Vass
Though it would be his first role as a head coach he carries with him a big name and a wealth of experience at some of the world's very biggest clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti's son, Davide, has followed closely behind his father to land a number of massive roles but the near future is up in the air for the duo.
Davide has been assistant manager to his dad at Real Madrid since 2021, winning two La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues amongst other silverware.
Prior to this he was also number two to his old man at Everton, Napoli, and Bayern Munich, and was a fitness coach when the pair were at PSG.
But he could become available in his own right soon with Carlo set to depart Madrid at the end of this season and become boss of the Brazil national team.
Currently aged just 35, the young coach achieved his Uefa Pro Licence two years ago when he shared a course with ex-Dundee United gaffer Tam Courts.
The man who guided the Tannadice side to European football in 2022 before leaving to seek other options has a friend in Davide Ancelotti.
A short spell at Budapest Honved after the Tangerines led to him taking an extended break from management to attain his Pro Licence, and since then he's kept in touch with the Madrid man.
Now working behind the scenes at Saudi club Al-Qadsiah, Courts has talked up his pal from afar amid uncertainty around Barry Ferguson's post-interim future.
Speaking to Record Sport, he said: 'Davide absolutely has the mentality and the temperament to manage Rangers. Just by his personality.
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"He's very humble but he has a lot of decisiveness too. He's a man of character and has a bit of steel about him.
"A lot of that comes from what he doesn't say, as opposed to what he does. Because he's a man who chooses his words very carefully.
'There's no doubt, even though he's worked at top clubs like Napoli, PSG, Bayern and Real Madrid - working in Glasgow, particularly because of the passion and size of Rangers, it's still a unique and challenging job.
'With talk of the takeover, it's a really interesting time to be considered to be Rangers' next head coach. But Davide speaks perfect English and multiple languages.
'And I totally understand why he's a guy Rangers would be considering, especially in terms of player attraction and retention.
'He's a big name. Players would want to come, not just to play for Rangers, but for him as well.
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Carlo will become Brazil manager soon, possibly leaving Davide at a loose end
Credit: Getty
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He's drawn a comparison to favourite for the job Steven Gerrard
Credit: Getty
'And if top players at Ibrox are casting their eye elsewhere, I think they'd be interested in working with Davide if he was appointed.'
The two bonded during their course in Wales with the ex-Kelty boss saying the Italian showed an interest in the Scottish game.
He continued: 'You build a close relationship with these guys because you're going through the experience together. Davide, as you might imagine with the Ancelotti name, is very unassuming.
'But he has a lot of conviction and charisma. He has a lot of good human qualities. Above all else, he's a top person who was keen to learn from everyone. Davide always had a keen interest in the Scottish game.
'He'd worked with Duncan Ferguson at Everton so had a bit of an insight into Scottish football. He was always open and very interested in different leagues.
'It's amazing when you look at Davide's career so far. He's done a long apprenticeship. Initially, he had a junior position with his father.
'But it was when they went to Bayern Munich that he became the assistant manager. Davide also has a sports science degree so he does a lot of the analysis at Real Madrid, as well as the coaching.
'He's a guy who is very studious on the game, as you can imagine. And he's always been very clear that, at some point, he wants to be his own man.
Rangers next manager odds
Acurate to bet365 as of 12/5/25
Steven Gerrard EVS
Russell Martin 7/2
Davide Ancelotti 9/1
Frank Lampard 9/1
Marco Rose 11/1
Danny Rohl 12/1
Derek McInnes 16/1
Barry Ferguson 20/1
Gary O'Neil 20/1
Jose Mourinho 20/1
'You have to understand the level of players he's worked with and what he's won - he's won major honours in his career. When you do that, you have a natural gravitas.'
Davide's playing career was far from show-stopping, but the name and former clubs alone carry worldwide renown in a way similar to how Premier League hero Gerrard did.
Courts said: 'It might be unfair to make the comparison, but when Steven became a manager for the first time at Rangers, it was a bit of an eye-opener.
'But it's quite similar to Davide and it's easy to draw parallels. Steven came from Under-18's football but had a big name. Davide's name speaks for itself.
'And what he has is more of a foundation and more experience of working on the training pitch with top players.
"Also, he'll have been spending the last year or two thinking about his staff and how he'd want to assemble it if he ever became a manager.'
With two league games left and a delayed takeover looming still, the Gers can soon hope to focus more on the next permanent appointment.
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