Rangers: Kevin Muscat leads race to succeed Russell Martin

During a 19-year playing career that resulted in 123 bookings and 12 red cards, Muscat was once labeled “the most hated man in football”.

He revealed that after retirement, external Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish did not trust him to play in the Old Firm derby during his short spell at Ibrox.

To the Australian’s credit, he has since managed to shed his somewhat hot-button image during an impressive 13 years in management.

His glowing CV attracted Rangers two years ago, but he reportedly missed out on the job when the club opted for Philippe Clement instead.

At the time, his former Rangers team-mate Neil McCann told BBC Scotland that the Ibrox side would get someone who “has presence” and “understands the league, the intensity, the rivalry and how to get the job done”.

Muscat was then first-team coach at Yokohama F. Marinos, where he won the 2022 J-League after taking over from Ange Postecoglou following his exit from Celtic.

He also succeeded Postecoglou at Melbourne Victory after a spell working under the current Nottingham Forest coach.

It was in Melbourne where Muscat’s managerial career began, winning the A-League twice in five-and-a-half years before moving to Japan.

The J-League runner-up finish in 2021 and 2023 was bookended by a 2022 win in Yokohama.

Muscat became title winners in a third different country last year in China and are on the verge of another title with just four games remaining as their side sit two points clear at the top.

During his coaching spells in Australia, Japan and China, his win rate reached 54%, with his teams scoring an average of 1.9 goals per game while conceding 1.2 goals.

His Shanghai Port team scored 96 goals in 30 matches in which they won the league last year.

These numbers indicate that this coach is capable of winning while executing a forward attacking style. But how that translates to Scottish football is unclear.