Rangers are believed to be closing in on the appointment of the man who is set to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox, with Mick Beale seemingly in line to make a return to the club to take on the top job.

The expectation among his current side is that the Englishman will be reunited with the Old Firm outfit in due course, having previously worked at Rangers as assistant coach to Steven Gerrard.

That coaching duo helped to guide the Old Firm side to Scottish Premiership glory during the 2020/21 campaign, with that triumph sealing a historic 55th league title for the Light Blues, while also ending Celtic's nine-year dominance in the process.

The task this time around will be to bridge the gap to Ange Postecoglou's side, with the Hoops currently nine points clear at the summit following a largely dominant start to the campaign.

With Beale needing to spark an instant revival once club action resumes at the end of next month, the 42-year-old will likely be looking to stamp his authority on a squad that he will largely be familiar with.

One way in which the Bromley-born visionary could trigger a turnaround in fortunes is by ruthlessly moving on misfiring asset, Alfredo Morelos, with the Colombian striker having scored just three goals so far this term amid what's been an underwhelming campaign on a personal note and on a collective basis.

According to pundit Alan Hutton, it looks as if the 26-year-old himself is already angling for an exit, with the former Scotland international stating: “The likes of Morelos, to me, it looks like he wants out of there. He got the opportunity in the last game and it didn’t go well for him at all.

“He still looks that moody player and he’s not giving us that aggression on the pitch where he scores goals. I think someone like him will, possibly, leave.”

As Hutton previously stated, the former HJK Helsinki man was "really poor" during the draw with St Mirren last time out, having almost looked as if he was "sulking" as his woes in front of goal continued.

The £33k-per-week "pub amateur" - as described by journalist Graham Spiers - has looked a shadow of his former self of late, having previously been something of a talisman for the club with 115 goals in 243 games to date.

Perhaps the appointment of a familiar face in Beale could lead to a change of fortunes, although the up-and-coming coach may well see the wisdom in nudging the forward towards the exit door, particularly with the 11-cap dud having just a matter of months left on his existing deal.

Should Morelos not be keen to commit himself to the club for the long term, it may well be best to trigger a parting of ways in the winter window rather than wait until the summer, with a fresh start perhaps best for all parties.

The arrival of a new boss can typically lead to big decisions having to be made, with Beale's first big task being to simply move on the 5 foot 10 brute.