Rangers' ex-coach and Steven Gerrard's assistant Michael Beale takes Championship top job at QPR

Michael Beale has been named Mark Warburton’s replacement as Queen’s Park Rangers manager, signing a three-year contract with the skybet Championship side.

Steven Gerrard’s right-hand man at Rangers and Aston Villa has been confirmed as the new boss at Loftus Road, fulfilling a personal ambition to be a manager in his own right.

While manager at Ibrox, Gerrard said it would take him 20 years to develop the training ground talents and experience of Beale, who he worked with in the youth ranks at Liverpool’s Melwood training facility before taking him to Glasgow.

He then took the highly-regarded coach south as his assistant manager at Aston Villa but Beale has now branched out on his own to take his first top job having also worked in coaching at Chelsea and in Brazil with Sao Paulo.

Beale replaces another former Rangers employee, Mark Warburton, who left after the west London play-off bid ran aground towards the end of season 2021-22.