Neil McCann couldn't help but be shocked when Rangers announced that Philippe Clement had been given a contract extension until summer 2028, less than a year into his Ibrox tenure.
Clement did guide Rangers to the League Cup last season, but on the other hand he witnessed his team surrender the Scottish Premiership title race then lose the Scottish Cup final to arch-rivals Celtic as their hopes for the 2023/24 campaign unravelled.
Rangers do require a significant squad overhaul and their manager has already told supporters to be patient and just the process. In spite of that, McCann is unsure where the Rangers board would draw the line if they fall further behind Celtic this season.
Today's 0-0 stalemate against Heart of Midlothian showed the extent of the task on the Belgian's shoulders.
Read more:
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“The new contract shows Clement’s commitment,” McCann said whilst on Sky Sports punditry duties.
“I was very surprised when I saw the news of Philippe signing a new deal considering he’s not even seen out his first year here.
"He wins the League Cup last year and for a large part of his tenure he really did do a fantastic job but they did drift away towards the business end of the season. The most important end of the season I have to say.
“He has spoken about a rebuild but that will take time, but do you get time in Glasgow?
“Steven Gerrard did, I have to say, so maybe that’s the sort of business model they’re looking at here.
“They’re taking about a player trading model and stuff like that but it’s not easy in Rangers because you need instant success.”
