Ex Rangers manager makes eye-catching next move as he fends off former Man Utd boss to land new job

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has made a long-awaited return to football management after being appointed as the new boss of Besiktas.

The former Rangers manager - who was recently working as a pundit in the Netherlands since his Ibrox dismissal back in November 2022 - has signed a two-year deal with the Turkish Super Lig outfit, with an option to extend that by a further year.

He replaces ex-Greece, Portugal and Poland head coach Fernando Santos, who was shown the door in April despite guiding the club to their 11th Turkish Cup triumph. Van Bronckhorst will hope his spell in Istanbul proves a success, with the club’s trigger-happy owners parting ways with FOUR bosses in total last season.

The former Gers and Barcelona full-back began his managerial career at Feyenoord in 2015, the club where he began and ended his playing career. He led the Eredivisie side to the KNVB Cup in his first season and to the league title in his second year.

A season-long stint with Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou followed before heading back to another of his old club’s to replace Steven Gerrard as Light Blues boss in November 2021. During his 12-month reign, he steered the Gers to the Europa League Final and won the Scottish Cup, as well as securing Champions League group stage qualification for the first time in 12 years.

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He will now attempt to work with magic with a Besiktas team that finished sixth in Turkey’s top-flight last season. Having failed to get their hands on the trophy in four years, the 106-capped Dutch international will try to restore the club to its former glory.

And various reports have suggested that Van Bronckhorst held off ex-Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to land the position, with the Norwegian claimed to have been nearing an agreement to take over. Delivering his first message to supporters, Van Bronckhorst said: “Hello Black Eagles. I am Giovanni van Bronckhorst and I’m coming to Besiktas.”

He inherits a squad packed full of European experience, including the likes of former Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, ex-Everton striker Cenk Tosun and one-time Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey.