Graeme Souness has revealed that he helped Rangers in their hunt for a new manager, with Philippe Clement and Frank Lampard the two outstanding candidates.
Souness is set to be appointed by the Ibrox club in a consultancy role, but ahead of an official announcement, the Ibrox hero was involved in the process of appointing Michael Beale's successor.
“There were two outstanding candidates; Frank and Philippe,” Souness explains. “The final say wasn’t with me.
“For me, Frank had the edge because of this; Frank, I think, has still got a great deal to offer. Taking the Chelsea job when he did was always going to be very, very difficult. The Everton job is a basket case. And have they improved since Frank left? Not a bit.
“So, I wouldn’t be too critical of Frank. The thing that encouraged me about Frank is that he wanted to do it. He doesn’t need the money. He wants to be a successful manager. And he fancied the Rangers job.”
On the interview process, Souness revealed that Clement impressed, but he felt Lampard would have been equally as suited for the Ibrox role.
“(Clement) interviewed brilliantly. He’s got presence. He’s got a very, very good CV and he played the game,” Souness added. “He was an outstanding candidate, and that’s why the board went with him. I fully get that.
“Football players are a cynical judge. You stand in front of them, and they are judging you. This guy has got presence, stature and his English is excellent. He talks what I think is sensible football chat. He’s not making it too scientific like a hell of a lot of coaches do today.”
