Gordon Strachan insists he cannot help Philippe Clement with anything at Rangers - but he'd always be on the other end of the phone if he wanted to talk.
The former Celtic boss signed the Belgian during his time as manager of Coventry. Clement suffered a serious injury when Strachan was at the Sky Blues, but he has fond memories of the 49-year-old.
The ex-Scotland gaffer says Clement is a student of the game and has gone into Ibrox and done things his way without any influences from elsewhere - something he admires.
Strachan has opened up on the time he and his wife babysat for Clement. However, when asked if he's spoken to him since his arrival in Scotland, the answer was short and sweet.
"No. I haven’t had Philippe’s number for ages," Strachan told ICE36. "When I look at some of my ex-players that go into management, sometimes I don’t quite believe it because I didn’t see that in them as players. Not with him though. With Philippe, I’ve followed his career in management in Belgium and he’s done really well.
"I thought he was a terrific bloke when I signed him for Coventry. I actually felt really sorry for him because he suffered a bad injury when he first joined the club.
"He was a very studious individual; very anxious to learn. He wanted so much information as a player and he’s taken that trait into his coaching. I got on really well with him. One night me and Lesley (Gordon’s wife) babysat for him – he needed to take his wife out and he didn’t have a sitter.
"He’s had a great career in management so far. If I were to speak with him, it would be to tell him about what sights to visit and things to see in Scotland on his day off. I can’t help him with Rangers. There are certain things that you can and can’t do… I couldn’t do that."
He added: "He’s completely single-minded as a manager from what I’ve heard. He’s a little bit like Ange in terms of his commitment to playing football his way – you have to be that way as a manager.
"People often criticise managers for being stubborn, but I think that is a trait that you need if you want to be successful. You can’t listen to everybody every now and then.
"Philippe has gone in there and done it his way. I like that. If it does go wrong, then he only has himself to blame."
