The 54-year-old has joined the coaching staff at Ibrox which is taking shape after Clement was appointed as the Govan club’s manager last Sunday.

Van Der Heyden first worked with Clement in 2011 at Club Brugge. The former Club Brugge midfielder also played for Roda JC, Lille and Germinal Beerschot and was part of Belgium’s World Cup squad in 1994. He was most recently assistant at Kerala Blasters in India, and has also coached in Belgium, North Macedonia and Jordan.

Van Der Heyden told the club’s official website: “I am looking forward to this challenge, it will be a big one, but I think it is a great club. One of the most beautiful things about football is that you meet different people and different cultures, not only football culture, but cultures in general. One thing in common is the supporters, they all expect the best from the team. The first impressions are good, I’m sure we can do something here and we can achieve something together.”

Clement said: “I am really happy to have Stephan join me here. We have known each other a long time and he has a lot of experience. He is someone who wants to work really hard, he is somebody who is humble, he is really passionate about football, and he is really focused on making players better, so it is a good support. For me it is also important to work together with the local staff and with people who know the club, who know the history, who have the passion for the club. I don’t want to have this small Belgian island, I want to create one big family together.”

Rangers’ full back-room staff will be confirmed in due course.

Stephan van Der Heyden explains why he has joined Rangers as Philippe Clement starts back-room staff shake-up

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