Former Man Utd No.2 details Rangers snub after manager job interview with 'massive club'

Former Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen has revealed he was in the frame to become Rangers manager in 2013 after holding talks with Ibrox hierarchy.

The vastly experienced Dutchman, who served as No.2 to Sir Alex Ferguson during six highly successful years at Old Trafford, has opened up on his managerial ambitions after contributing four Premier League titles and a Champions League crown during his 12-year stay with the Red Devils.

The 60-year-old - currently assistant coach of the Australian national team - admitted he was looking to take the reins as a head coach once again after departing United along with Ferguson almost a decade ago and found himself firmly in the running to take over in Govan before club officials opted to appoint Mark Warburton instead.

Speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest Champions League betting, Meulensteen claims he was approached for a discussion about the managerial vacancy at Rangers. He recalled: “When I came close to the Rangers job I had just left Manchester United and someone in Scotland got in contact with me to see if I was willing to come and have a chat.

“I did and it was great but they went with Mark Warburton, who brought in David Weir as his assistant which was huge for them. It never materialised for me and we all know Rangers had their problems but they are a massive club with a global image.”

Meulensteen, who has refused to close the door on returning to management in the coming years, also explained his reasoning behind why he feels Celtic and Rangers are being held back by competing in the Scottish Premiership, insisting both clubs struggle in Europe due to a facing limite competition in Scotland.

He stated: “I go up to Scotland a fair bit because obviously there are quite a few Australian players there. We've got players playing for Hibs, we've got players playing for Hearts, we've got players playing for Motherwell and Dundee.

“Obviously a few years ago we had Aaron Mooy for Celtic who was an outstanding player, absolutely fantastic. Every time I have visited Celtic Park or go to Rangers or any other club, it's vibrant. Sometimes Celtic and Rangers are held back by the league they play in, they could hit much higher levels if they had better opposition week in week out and I think that is why they have fallen short in Europe. They don't meet that kind of opposition and suddenly they get hit by much stronger teams from abroad.”