Derek McInnes is “nailed on” to be appointed the new Rangers manager, according to Ayr boss Ian McCall.
The former Ibrox midfielder, who spent three years at the club during the late 1980s, is convinced that Aberdeen manager McInnes will end up taking the reins in the coming weeks.
Rangers chiefs revealed in a statement last Friday that they were some way from appointing a successor to Pedro Caixinha, who was sacked three weeks ago.
The availability of Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has prompted speculation that he could land the job but Scottish League One boss McCall has heard McInnes has no rivals.
“I think he’s nailed on,” McCall told Scottish radio programme BBC Sportsound on Wednesday night. “I understand the board taking their time because it’s really important – Celtic have won six titles in a row.”
OPINION
It appears that McInnes is destined for Ibrox, but the delay is down to Rangers cobbling together the money needed to prise him from Pittodrie. The £800,000 compensation fee is not gargantuan by modern football standards but the Light Blues’ recently posted annual results showed they are not swimming in money. Far from it. They are living beyond their means thanks to loans from owner Dave King. This explains why the pursuit of McInnes has been an elongated one and flies in the face of claims that he would be well in place at Ibrox by now.