Ally McCoist hopes he's still wanted if Rangers takeover goes ahead

• Ally McCoist leads Lee McCulloch, Steven Naismith and Madjid Bougherra at Glasgow Airport as Rangers head off to Turkey Picture: SNS

It is assumed that the assistant manager will succeed Walter Smith when the veteran steps down at the end of the season, but waters are currently muddied by the proposed buyout of the Govan club by Scottish businessman Craig Whyte.

A deal is understood to have been agreed in principle between Whyte and majority shareholder Sir David Murray, although it is unlikely that anything formal will develop until next month at the earliest, if Whyte decides to make an offer and it is accepted.

However, McCoist, in Turkey for tomorrow's Champions League clash with Bursaspor, said: "I am only concerned that the takeover, if and when it comes, is successful for Rangers Football Club. That's what I have said all along.

"I'm damned tooting if I was buying Rangers Football Club, I would want my own people running it.

"If that's the case you keep your fingers crossed that you are the person they want to run it. That's the way it is. But the most important thing is the football club, it always has been and always will be. My only concern is that we do get financial backing and the club can move forward."

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Meanwhile, McCoist believes the prospect of bringing Kris Boyd back from Middlesbrough can only be a dream.

The former Rangers striker is reported to be keen to return to Ibrox following an unsuccessful seven-month spell at Middlesbrough. But McCoist said: "I don't really have any thoughts on that because my reading of the situation is that it's not going to happen because we don't have any money to get anybody, whether it be Kris Boyd or anybody else.

"We don't have any money, it is as simple as that, so we can dream but at this moment in time, nothing is going to happen. We can't sit there and say 'someone is going to come in and buy the club and give us x amount of pounds'. That's not the way you do things.

"We look at the long-term approach and we effectively know what cards we have been dealt and we have to play them."

McCoist welcomed back stopper Madjid Bougherra from injury for the last Group C game, saying: "It is common knowledge that we are down to the bare bones. Madjid is obviously one of our top players and we have missed him a little bit.

"It is great that he is back and has been training with the lads for the last two or three days with a view to be involved in our final Champions League game.

"We will have a look at how he is in training but hopefully he will start the game."