I spoke to Rafa Benitez about the Rangers job, he would have been interested if Gers considered him says ex-Ibrox star
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RANGERS finally named Russell Martin as the permanent successor to Philippe Clement last week.
It was after months of speculation over who the next Gers boss would be - and a former Rangers star has revealed he spoke to legendary manager Rafa Benitez about the opening.
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A former Rangers star has revealed he spoke to Rafa Benitez about the vacancy at Ibrox
Credit: Getty
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The ex-Ger said he felt that the Spaniard would have been interested if Rangers got in touch
Credit: AP
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Gregory Vignal had a season-long loan at Ibrox in the Helicopter Sunday title-winning season
Credit: Kenny Ramsay - The Sun Glasgow
Gregory Vignal spent a season on loan at Ibrox in 2004/05, playing 42 times as a member of the famous league title-winning Helicopter Sunday team.
The 43-year-old also had a two-month spell with Dundee United in 2012, but didn't make a single appearance as his career wound down with injury.
Vignal was loaned to Ibrox from Liverpool, where he met Benitez, and remains in touch with the Spaniard despite never playing a game under him.
And the Frenchman told the Daily Record that, in a recent meeting with the 65-year-old, they discussed the prospect of the Rangers gig, which was still vacant at the time.
Vignal said: "I met Rafa in Liverpool and we spoke about the Rangers job before Russell got it.
"He's not working at a club right now, he's with Uefa.
"But if Rangers would have considered him? Of course he would have been interested.
"I also spoke to Steven [Gerrard] and joked with him.
"I asked if he'd got his apartment in Glasgow ready!
"All of those types of guys have been in the game a long time so I have to listen to them and be really humble."
Rangers fans react to news Russell Martin is their new manager
Vignal is currently an assistant to Viktors Morozs with Latvian champions RFS, and reckons the team he has there would finish in the top THREE in the Scottish Premiership.
He said: "Honestly, RFS would finish in the top three of the Scottish Premiership, I'm telling you, of course they would.
"People there might be surprised but it's true, we are good enough to be in the top three in Scotland.
"Even in my last job at Versailles, it was bigger than a lot of jobs in Scotland - and that was the French third tier.
"We had a £6million budget and for games against Red Star FC in Paris, we had a crowd of around 12,000 people at the game.
"So the job I had there, if you compare with some clubs in Scotland, it was bigger."
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