Barry Ferguson has insisted that this summer’s rebuild at Rangers is not “a project” as he responded to Real Madrid coach Davide Ancelotti being linked with the job and revealed he expects an update on his own position in the next few days.
Ferguson took charge of the first team in February, replacing the sacked Philippe Clement on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
The former Rangers captain has repeatedly said that he believes he can do the job on a permanent basis but his future at the club is uncertain, with the takeover of the club by American investors expected to be concluded by mid-June.
That’s led to speculation about who the new owners will want to appoint as manager, and news emerged this week that Real Madrid coach Davide Ancelotti, son of five-time Champions League winner Carlo, is one of several candidates under consideration.
When the name was put to Ferguson, he said he didn’t know much about the Real assistant, who has also been touted as a potential target for Como and others.
“I don’t know anything about him, to be honest,” he said. “I know he’s been assistant to his dad and his dad is one of the best managers.
“There’s always going to be speculation and there has been since I’ve come in. That’s just the way it operates in the west of Scotland.
“All I can do is focus on me doing the job and then we’ll see where it takes us.”
Looking at his own position, Ferguson said he expected something to be made public in the coming days.
“In terms of the update on myself, that’s going to remain private,” he said. “But I’m sure you’ll see over the course of the next few days that hopefully there’s going to be a bit of movement.
“I’ve mentioned a number of times that it has to get moving in terms of who is going to be manager because you’ve got pre-season coming up and players out of contract and going back from loan etc.
“Hopefully in the next few days it’ll be clear what’s going to happen.”
Looking ahead, Ferguson said that the new owners had to be aware that reviving Rangers this summer isn’t “a project” where time is given for development, but a task where the new manager will have to deliver success straight away and for a sustained period.
“One thing I will say is that it’s not a project,” he explained. “You need to start winning straight away.
“You don’t get time here. Apart from the summer to build a new squad whatever way you want to build it, you need to get off to a very fast start and make sure you win as many games as possible.
“They understand that and they would be crazy not to understand. It’s been far too long that Rangers have not been challenging. A trophy here and there? Let’s be honest, it’s not good enough.
“You need to be winning and winning trophies every single season. Whether it’s doubles or trebles you need to be at least challenging for that and we’re not.
“So that needs to change.”
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