Rangers look to have made significant progress in their search for a new manager, with a "leading contender" now coming to the fore in the race to take charge.

Rangers manager links

It has been an extremely busy week or so at Ibrox, with lots of work going into finding Michael Beale's successor, following his sacking earlier in the month. Interviews have taken place with some candidates while numerous different names have been thrown into the gossip about a new Rangers manager, including English trio Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Meanwhile, a number of foreign coaches have also been looked at as strong choices for the job, with Philippe Clement, Pascal Jansen and Kevin Muscat all seen as possible options to replace Beale at Ibrox.

While the international break does give those high up at Rangers a little more time to work on nailing the next managerial incoming, a new update suggests that they may have found their man.

Philippe Clement favourite for Rangers job

Taking to X on Tuesday morning, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook provided a big Rangers manager update on Clement, claiming that he has emerged as the front-runner to replace Beale:

"TalkSPORT understands Philippe Clement is the leading contender for the Rangers job. Kevin Muscat still in the race. Won't be Scott Parker or Frank Lampard. How do Gers fans feel about it?"

This certainly suggests that it is arguably his job to lose at this point, with the 49-year-old an exciting option, having achieved a lot in his relatively short managerial career to date. Clement has won the Belgian league title on four occasions – three times with Club Brugge and once with Genk – and Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell has hailed his approach to the game, saying of Clement's tactics:

"His profile as a modern coach, with his teams playing with great intensity and [is] daring, including on the continental stage. His ability to combine titles and the development of young players have made him one of the most prominent and successful coaches in Europe in recent years."

Belgian Cup – 2014/15

Club Brugge

Belgian title – 2015/16

Club Brugge

Belgian Super Cup – 2016/17

Club Brugge

Belgian title – 2018/19

Genk

Belgian title – 2019/20

Club Brugge

Belgian title – 2020/21

Club Brugge

Belgian Super Cup – 2021/22

Club Brugge

It doesn't look like a done deal yet for Rangers, but it is encouraging to see the club looking likely to bring in a manager who has proven himself at a good level, rather than simply being a big name in the footballing world.

The likes of Clement and Muscat have won titles and earned respect for the jobs they have done, while someone such as Lampard, for example, achieved little during spells in charge of Chelsea and Everton, and has arguably gotten jobs because of his playing career.

The hope is that Clement's arrival is confirmed sooner rather than latter, putting the issue to bed and heralding the start of an exciting new era at Ibrox, as they look to make up ground on Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race.