Pedro Caixinha to recruit '˜local' coach at Rangers

New Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha, along with his agent (right), watches from the stands as Rangers draw with Celtic in the Ladbrokes Premiership. Picture: PA

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Talking to Rangers TV in his first interview since agreeing to succeed Mark Warburton, Caixinha insisted it was important to bring in someone already familiar with life in Scotland, to act as a bridge between the Portuguese coach and the football traditions in this country.

A shortlist of candidates will be drawn up before a decision is made. It remains to be seen whether Graeme Murty will be in contention.

The interim boss took charge of his last match on Sunday as Clint Hill’s late goal rescued a point against rivals Celtic.

Murty, who was the coach of the Development Squad before being pushed into the hotseat, has said he’s open to working under a new manager.

Caixinha will introduce the rest of his backroom staff to the players on Tuesday. The 46-year-old will then meet with a number of candidates before selecting which one is to join the new management team.

He said: “The staff that came along with me will all be present tomorrow. This is my third experience of working abroad, and we always try to have one local assistant in order to provide the bridge to the culture, history and traditions. Someone who can tell you what it means to live in Glasgow, what it means to live in Scotland. Someone who will tell you about opposing managers and how they like to play.

“We are going to draw up a shortlist. I will speak with all of them and then I’ll make my decision.

“It’s important to have your own people because they already know the way you work, the way you think. It’s much easier to implement rather than arriving and having to teach the coaching staff as well as the players.”

Having stated their intention to hire both a manager and a director of football, Rangers have taken the unusual approach of selecting the former before the latter. However, it’s a role Caixinha insists he’s familiar with.

He added: “It’s a sort of working relationship that I’m used to. As long as the management and the coach are sharing the same philosophy, then everything is going to be easier.”