Russell Martin as next Rangers manager intel leaked by Ally McCoist as real Ancelotti 'chance' emerges
A clear frontrunner for the vacant Ibrox hot seat has emerged following the big money US takeover
Ally McCoist insists a new Rangers manager was never going to be appointed until the takeover was completed at Ibrox.
And he reckons that Russell Martin deserves a chance as Philippe Clement's permanent successor after hearing murmurs of discontent about an "underwhelming" appointment.
The former Southampton boss looks set to be given the chance to spearhead the American revolution at Ibrox following the takeover by US tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises.
Davide Ancelotti has also been in the running for the hot seat but the former Real Madrid assistant appears to have dropped down the pecking order with the next boss search reaching an endgame.
And after new sporting director Kevin Thelwell insisted it would be a matter of days before an appointment, Ibrox icon McCoist urged his former side to get a deal done.
He told talkSPORT: "It's imperative it gets done ASAP. However, it was never, ever going to get done before the sale of the club and the new owners came in. "
Pressed by Breakfast Show host and Celtic diehard Alan Brazil on the prospect of Martin's arrival being "underwhelming", McCoist conceded: "He (Russell Martin) came up for a while - but that is the term that was used, underwhelming. But you have got to give him a chance."
The Daily Mail report that Ancelotti and Francesco Farioli "haven't yet been formally ruled out" by the club but Martin "is now the most likely candidate to land the job."
It is claimed that his experiences as a manager saw Martin trump Ancelotti - who has coached alongside his dad Carlo at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and at the Bernabeu.
Reports in Switzerland now claim that FC Basel have a "better chance" of snapping up Ancelotti as they look to replace Fabio Celestini - with the title-winning boss set to be shown the door.
Sport claim that Ancelotti is "interested" in the vacancy as he now expects to be "rejected" by the Scottish Premiership giants.
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