Here’s the lowdown on 1/5 Rangers job favourite Pedro Caixinha

While it was no surprise to see household names like Alan Irvine and Alex McLeish among the list of potential candidates to take over the Rangers job, the man who now looks set for the post – Pedro Caixinha – is a rather less familiar face on these shores.

So, who is the 1/5 shot who looks all-but-certain to take the Gers hotseat? And how would he cope with the demands of life in the Ladbrokes Premiership?

Well, first off, he’s not a total novice to football here. Despite not having managed in the UK, the Portuguese boss completed his coaching badges in Scotland in 2010, before taking the job at then-top-flight homeland club Uniao de Leiria.

Despite financial difficulties at Os Lis, he helped retain the side’s top-flight status, before guiding unfashionable Nacional to an impressive seventh-placed finish in the division in 2011-12.

That was followed by two years in Mexico with Santos Laguna, in which the 46-year-old lifted league and cup honours, before moving to Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa in 2015.

But as well as experiencing management in three different continents, the Beja-born gaffer worked under one of Portugal’s most respected bosses – Jose Peseiro – as assistant, following him to the likes of Panathinaikos and Sporting Lisbon.

However, perhaps the most exciting factor, for Rangers’ fans, is Caixinha’s history of building exciting, entertaining teams. He may have been a goalkeeper in his playing days, but the well-respected gaffer could hardly be more attack-minded.

His Santos side regularly chalked up three, four or even five goals in a game, while Al Gharafa are the highest scorers outside the top-four in the Qatari top-flight this term.

So, with a successful track record and a history of playing entertaining football, could he be just the fit the Gers need to push for second place this season?

Next up for Rangers is Sunday’s trip to Celtic. Bring in Caixinha before that huge clash, and we’ll soon get to see what he’s really made of.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing