Exclusive:The type of next Rangers boss candidate who won't turn down job shared as Ferguson route to role paved by hero

Mark Hateley is refusing to rule Ibrox interim boss Barry Ferguson out of the running to become Rangers next permanent manager - but admits it will be difficult to outline his credentials in a “very short period of time”.

The Light Blues icon rode an emotional rollercoaster in the Rugby Park dugout on Wednesday after watching his side recover from two goals down against Kilmarnock to run out 4-2 winners in his first Premiership game in charge.

Following his appointment as Philippe Clement’s short-term successor at the beginning of the week, Ferguson revealed he thought his dream of leading his beloved Rangers was long gone. But that could now become a real possibility should he manage to end a woeful season for the Govan giants on a positive note.

And Gers legend Hateley reckons his fellow club ambassador has three months to showcase he has what it takes to lead the club forward long-term. However, it’s expected that Ferguson will need to win all of their remaining league fixtures, including both remaining Old Firm derbies against Celtic and continue the club’s Europa League run to give himself a realistic chance of landing the gig.

Quizzed on how big an opportunity his short spell as interim manager will be in terms of putting himself in the window to get the job on a permanent basis, Hateley told GlasgowWorld: “Absolutely. You just have to go back to Ally (McCoist) when he was offered the job. Nobody can refuse it if you're a Rangers man.

“It’s very difficult circumstances right now. When Ally took over, he was faced with very, very, difficult circumstances. Barry's in the same sort of situation now. He's got four guys around him he can trust and that he's played with, so that loyalty is already there. They're not going to let him down.

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“It's a very short space of time that they've got to get into the heads of the players - that's the difficulty. And I can't see great changes coming on the football pitch, because of the magnitude of the games coming up. He's got all that to handle, so it’s not an easy job with a full squad. But Barry knows that.

“He's smart enough to understand the situation. But, as I say, you get this opportunity to manage and if you're a Rangers man, you take it. He won’t be thinking about that just now because he'll be too busy with other things. There's a time to voice that and there's a time to just let people get on with the job in hand. He knows everyone behind the scenes. I've been knocking around the club since 2000, so 25 years. He knows my thoughts exactly. He gets my positive thoughts.”

Asked if Ferguson is a good short-term fix, Hateley responded: “Yeah, it probably works. It works for the club at this particular moment. It's a difficult situation for Barry, but all the Rangers fans have sent their best wishes to him in a real difficult moment, I would say for the football club.

“It's not a position you would jump into too willingly at the moment, but as I say, once that job's offered to you, particularly if you have that connection to the club, you'll take it. It's a difficult three months left a short space of time to try and do something, but the fans want Rangers-minded people back. They've got that. Whether he can transmit that on the field in this short space of time will be a difficult task, but as I say, all the best to him and his team.

“It's a tough one right now, especially in this period he’s come in at. He’s got the European game coming up, then you've got an Old Firm game and Dundee away. A tough run and only time will tell, but I’d imagine it’ll be little tinkering here and there rather than big changes because of the personnel available to him.”