Scottish Premiership giants Rangers have confirmed the arrival of Belgian coach Stephan van der Heyden, who will serve as an assistant manager to new boss Philippe Clement.
Van der Heyden will renew acquaintances with Clement once again, having previously worked alongside the Belgian tactician during his tenure at Club Brugge.
The 54-year-old will bring valuable expertise to the backroom staff at Ibrox, having also served as an assistant at FK Vardar in North Macedonia, Kerala Blasters in India and with the Jordan national team.
In addition to Van der Heyden’s arrival, the Gers are actively seeking to bolster their coaching team, with a particular focus on finding a candidate with strong ties to the club and Scottish football.
After signing on the dotted line, Van der Heyden said: “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 added: “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.”
The pair will make their Scottish Premiership bow this weekend when Rangers welcome Hibernian to Ibrox, looking to close the gap on runaway league leaders Celtic.
Clement and Van der Hayden face an uphill task of dethroning Celtic at the pinnacle of Premiership football, with Rangers sitting seven points behind the defending champions after only eight games.
