Rangers manager pays Wim Jansen tribute as Giovanni van Bronckhorst reveals major impact former Celtic boss had on his career

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has expressed his gratitude for the crucial role Wim Jansen played in his career.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst worked under former Celtic head coach Wim Jansen during both of his spells as a Feyenoord player. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Van Bronckhorst paid a warm tribute to former Celtic manager Jansen whose death at the age of 75 was announced on Tuesday.

Jansen was head coach of Feyenoord when van Bronckhorst was coming through the youth academy at the Dutch club in the early 1990s and promoted him to the first team squad.

When van Bronckhorst returned to Feyenoord at the end of his playing career, Jansen was part of the Rotterdam outfit’s backroom staff as a technical advisor and assistant coach.

“Of course, it’s very sad,” said van Bronckhorst. “I was just having lunch (at the training ground today) when the news came on the screen.

“I’m very sad to hear it, very sad to learn that Wim Jansen has gone. I’ve known the family for many years and I had Wim as an assistant when I was a player.

“I was telling the story while we had lunch to (sporting director) Ross Wilson, that Wim was the first coach I had as a youth player who let me train with players who were two, three years older than I was.

“He saw my potential when I was young and really helped me in my development as a player. I’ve got really good memories of Wim Jansen.

“He was an important player for the Dutch team, for Feyenoord, winning the European Cup in 1970, which is one of the biggest achievements of Feyenoord. It’s really sad to hear the news today.”

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