Rangers' Philippe Clement explains how he celebrated big birthday - but why it won't change him

Ibrox boss will be looking for more happy returns when the action recommences against Hibs

Philippe Clement was all smiles as he entered the Rangers media suite. “It’s good to see everyone again, it seems like ages ago,” the Belgian quipped. A two-week break has allowed batteries to be recharged ahead of what will surely be a dramatic end to the 2023/24 campaign.

By the time Rangers kick off against Hibs on Saturday, they will have been inactive for 16 days owing to the surprise postponement of their last match away at Dundee due to a waterlogged pitch. Half of the Ibrox squad departed for international duty as others recovered from injuries and went through independent training programmes. Clement himself got away for a few days, back to Belgium for some celebrations. The Rangers manager turned 50 on March 22.

“I am a lucky man, the timing was really good as it was the first time I managed to get back home to my family,” explained Clement. “It was a good coincidence,” before adding: “I don’t feel any different to be honest. A lot of people tell me that 50 is special, but I don’t feel any different from 40 – only when I look in the mirror. It depends on the day. Sometimes I think I still want to play like in my 30s, some days my body tells me I’m not at that age anymore.”

Rangers' Abdallah Sima scored twice that day against Hibs - and he is now back in the squad after injury.

Clement is a self-confessed “football animal”, but even he would be permitted some time away from pondering all things Rangers as he returned home for a short break. “I enjoyed it,” he said. “It was nice to see the kids back, my parents and my wife who had been back in Belgium for a few days. It was nice also to see some friends so I enjoyed all of that, fully. But my mind is still on football, I am still making calls to people at the club. They know they can call me also. It’s not a case of me saying, ‘okay guys, I’m going home to Belgium for three days, don’t call me.’ I have been in contact with the club through that time. It is normal, it’s my life.”

From the moment Clement walked through the Ibrox doors in October, it was clear Rangers had hired a workaholic. The ex-Club Brugge and Monaco man lives and breathes his job. He has hauled Rangers off the Premiership canvas and created a ding-dong title race with Celtic. Eight rounds of fixtures remain – plus Rangers have a game in hand against Dundee – and they return to action at home to Hibs, a mirror image of Clement’s first time in charge of Rangers.

Back on October 21 last year, and after a two-week international break, Clement oversaw an impressive 4-0 win over the Easter Road team at Ibrox, with Abdallah Sima scoring twice. The Senegalese forward is available to Clement on Saturday for the first time since January 2 following a thigh injury sustained while at the Africa Cup of Nations. Rangers played well that day against Nick Montogmery’s side. “I'm most happy that I saw synergy between players and the fans from the first minute,” Clement said right after that encounter. “That is one of the biggest strengths of this club – one that we need to have to win trophies.”

The synergy has continued – and Rangers already have one piece of silverware in the bag, the Viaplay Cup. The league and Scottish Cup could follow. Clement has elevated everything at Rangers, topping their Europa League group and eking out every last drop from a previously dishevelled squad. Now it is about reaching the finishing line in front.

Kieran Dowell is also back after a lay-off.

Turning 50 will not make Clement’s energy levels wane. It was put to him that football managers suffer from burnout, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – who is standing down at the end of the season – an example. “How old is Jurgen?” Clement retorted. “He started earlier than me. I don’t have the feeling at this moment it will be too much. But I have seen it in the past, I saw it with Michel Preud’homme. I was his assistant for four years and in the last year it was too much. He stopped after and he became technical director for two more years and then stopped. So I understand that maybe in one moment it is too much, it’s an individual thing. I am not thinking about that at the moment. You have people in their 70s still doing it.”

Clement is hungry for success and was pleased to welcome back the entirety of his squad on Friday. Only Ridvan Yilmaz, the Turkish defender, returned with an injury from international commitments. Sima, Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling and Ross McCausland are restored to the squad for Hibs’ visit. “It is always exciting because I always see our story together like a book and I talked about that in the past,” Clement said. “Every week we write new pages together and it is important they don’t forget pages you wrote together before in the way we play football, the way we need to move together on the pitch. It is a new test again because it seems like months ago that we played together. That is my feeling. I want to see that they didn’t forget anything, that is a challenge.”

He knows Hibs will offer a test, despite Rangers having won all three previous meetings without the concession of a goal this term. “Hibs is a good footballing team, a team that creates a lot of chances and scores a lot of goals, the third most in the league I think,” Clement added. “They are really hungry to beat us, I feel it every time more that we play against them that the hunger and desire becomes bigger. That is one feeling around that. We need to see a very good Rangers team and feel a good support from the fans to play a really strong game to win.”

Prevail, and Rangers go top – at least for a day. Celtic, currently a point clear and against Livingston on Easter Sunday, are up next weekend. A late birthday present to Clement of three points from his players would be most welcome.