'Fantastic' Rangers boss 'leading' five-man shortlist including World Cup winner for top international job
Philippe Clement is among the early favourites to take charge of his national team, according to Belgian media
Rangers manager Philippe Clement is among the early front-runners to be named as the new Belgium national team head coach amid a dismal run of just one win out of six in the Nations League.
According to reports in his homeland, Clement is leading a five-man shortlist to replace current Red Devils boss Domenico Tedesco, who finds himself under serious pressure following a disappointing Euro 2024 tournament and in the wake of last week’s shock 1-0 defeat to Israel that left them staring at a relegation playoff match against a Group B runner-up.
He is expected to be axed before the turn of the year and Ibrox supremo Clement is the man being strongly touted to take over due to his close working relationship with former mentor and now Belgian FA sporting director Vincent Mannaert.
Mannaert previously served as Club Brugge chief executive for 13 years where they lifted six league titles and was the driving force behind appointing Clement as their manager back in 2019.
In April this year, Mannaert revealed how much he respects Clement. He stated: “Philippe and I have known each other for a very long time and since we were both playing, he was at the beginning of a fantastic career and me at the beginning of a less bright career!
“We had great results in the Champions League at Club Brugge and had a draw with PSG - with Messi, with Neymar, with Mbappe - and we had a draw in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. And we had great celebrations when we won the title.
“He is a very hard-working person, he believes in hard work and preparation. As a player, he was also a leader, he was a captain for many years at Brugge.
“You see that leadership coming back as a coach, he leads a group. He prepares himself very well. He is analytically very strong, he is able to get out the angle of the opponent and he combines that with emotional leadership.”
Belgian media claim France 98’ World Cup winner Thierry Henry, recently departed K.A.A. Gent boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck, ex-Porto manager Sergio Conceicao and vastly-experienced coach Herve Renard make up the remainder of the shortlist.
Clement was appointed as Michael Beale’s successor in Govan just over 12 months ago after fending off strong competition Kevin Muscat to land the role. He recently penned a contract extension that ensures his deal now runs until 2028.
The 50-year-old led the Light Blues to their first Scottish League Cup triumph in more than a decade last season and looked to have transformed the club’s fortunes after mounting an unlikely title charge before a late end-of-season downturn in form meant Celtic clinched the silverware by an eight-point margin.
This season, however, Clement has come under scrutiny following an inconsistent start to their domestic campaign which has seen the Gers fall nine points behind co-leaders Celtic and Aberdeen at the top of the table. Despite a number of poor league performances to date, Rangers have fared slightly better in the Europa League and are on course to progress to the knockout stages. They will also contest the League Cup final against Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops side next month.