Jose Mourinho would 'fancy' Rangers job as Special One tipped for 'box office' summer move to Ibrox

Jose Mourinho would be open to becoming the next Rangers manager, according to one former Ibrox star who has tipped the renowned coach for a "box office" move to Glasgow this summer.

The Portuguese boss, who has won titles in England, Italy and Spain as well as lifting the Champions League twice, was asked directly about the prospect of one day managing Celtic or Rangers when his Fenerbahce side took on the Light Blues in the Europa League last 16 in March.

Rangers are on the lookout for permanent manager after appointing former captain Barry Ferguson as interim boss until the end of the season following the sacking of Philippe Clement in February. The next appointment will be made by the incoming new owners with a takeover by a US-consortium led by health insurance mogul Andrew Cavenagh and the San Francisco 49ers investment arm nearing completion. Ferguson guided Rangers to victory over Mourinho's side, edging through on penalty kicks after a 3-1 victory in Istanbul was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Jose Mourinho's Fenerbache head to Ibrox needing to overturn a two goal deficit after Rangers' 3-1 win in Istanbul last week. Cr: Getty Images. | AFP via Getty Images

Asked about the chances of taking an Old Firm job in the future, Mourinho replied: "In this moment, no, because I have a job that motivates me and a job that demands loyalty. But why not in the future? People can say that the Scottish league is a league of two teams, but it is a league of passion.

"For me, passion in football is everything. To play in empty stadiums or competitions where there is not that fire or passion, for me, that doesn't make any sense. Celtic and Rangers are big clubs with big fanbases, big emotions, big responsibilites and big expectations. Why not? But in this moment I have a job. Celtic has a fantastic coach like Brendan [Rodgers]. Rangers has [Barry] Ferguson now, so full respect for them, and I am not searching for a new job."

While Mourinho, 62, may have suggested he is content in his current role, ex-Rangers defender Alan Hutton believes there was enough in his comments to suggest that the 'Special One', as he labelled himself when arriving in English football with Chelsea in 2004, would be willing to swap Turkey for Scotland this summer.

"Jose Mourinho at Rangers would be absolute box office, I'm sure of it," Hutton told BoyleSports, who offer the latest football odds. "He was asked the question when Rangers played Fenerbahce and he didn't say no. It seemed like he would quite like and fancy something like that. So it would be interesting.

"I think for a guy of his experience and quality to come in, it's probably something that Rangers need at this moment in time because they're going to go through, I feel, a big rebuild, especially with the takeover that's happening and the changes behind the scenes.

"You need somebody with that experience who can deal with those sorts of pressures and maintain what they need to do against, obviously, Celtic and the rest of the league. So it would be brilliant to see. I'd love to see his press conferences from week to week, I'm sure it'd be fun."