Kevin Muscat may have already sealed masterstroke with key Rangers decision

With Rangers securing an agreement to appoint Kevin Muscat as their new head coach, focus has shifted to which staff members he will bring alongside him. The Ibrox outfit had struck a deal with Muscat to replace Russell Martin, though he may not take his place in the dugout until mid-November.

Neil McCann maintains a longstanding arrangement with his former Rangers colleague, and the ex-Gers coach is returning to oversee matters temporarily before becoming Muscat's assistant. It remains uncertain whether Muscat's Shanghai colleagues Ross Aloisi and Vince Lerardo will accompany him to Glasgow.

However, one less apparent - yet vital - associate who might is Les Gelis.

During the latest episode of Daily Record's Hotline LIVE, Keith Jackson believes the current Shanghai Port head of high performance represents the most probable candidate to make the switch, given his enduring bond with Muscat and his essential role in implementing the tactical approach he desires.

"A couple of names that have come forward this afternoon as guys who are probably going to come to Glasgow from Shanghai with Kevin Muscat are Ross Aloisi and Vince Lerardo," Jackson said.

"I'm not sure about that. I suspect that the backroom team may be picked from more local guys on the ground here in Scotland.

"But one person you should take a look at in terms of possibly making the same journey from Shanghai to Glasgow is a really interesting guy called Les Gelis, who is currently employed in Shanghai as head of high performance.

"Now this guy's got a history with Kevin Muscat dating back a couple of decades. I think he worked with the Socceroos and he's been around the Australian national set up.

"He's very well qualified medically, he was a physio for a while as well.

"But he's emerged as a real key guy in Muscat's set up because it's his job to make sure that the payers are peaking and hitting fitness levels which Muscat believes are absolutely essential in order to play his style of football.

"As we've seen similarly in the way Ange Postecoglou had Celtic playing, it's really high intensity, high tempo stuff.

"So I think that Les Gelis could be a crucial component and I expect he'll make the same journey from Shanghai to Glasgow, with perhaps a more local feel to the coaching staff."