Ex-Feyenoord head coach Gio van Bronckhorst is reportedly closing in on a deal to take over at Rangers to replace Steven Gerrard.

Aston Villa poached the ex-Liverpool man from the Gers last week and Ross Wilson is now moving swiftly to get a new man in the dugout for the clash with Hibernian next weekend.

Upon his arrival, van Bronckhorst will have a number of key decisions to make, regarding team selections, formations and transfers.

Time's up

One decision he will need to make is whether or not to extend Scott Arfield's contract at Ibrox. The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and van Bronckhorst will need to decide on what to do with his future, whether he will allow him to leave as a free agent or keep him at the club for another year.

Based on his performances in the Premiership for the Gers this term, Arfield should be let go by the club. He has not shown enough on the pitch this season to prove that he is deserving of a new contract and the Dutchman must wield his axe and make a call that could make him an instant hit in Glasgow.

Gerrard handed Arfield six appearances in the Premiership this season and two in the Europa League. Whilst he has not been a regular in the side, eight appearances in the two main competitions for Rangers by this point in the campaign suggests that the former Anfield hero saw value in him.

However, he has not shown enough back in his displays to warrant his inclusion. Per SofaScore, he has lost a whopping 71% of his duels on the pitch in the league and averaged a rating of 6.66. He has also only created two chances, whilst scoring one goal and missing two big chances.

The £1.8m-rated Canadian international averaged a rating of 6.85 and lost 63% of his duels in the 2020/21 campaign, whilst only averaging 0.4 key passes per game. This suggests that his performances have been declining over the past 18 months and now could be the perfect time for the club to part ways with him.

Therefore, one of van Bronckhorst's first tasks as Rangers manager, should the appointment be made official, is to axe Arfield from the squad and sell him in the January window.

AND in other news, Wilson must avoid instant stitch up for GVB over Rangers gem with "terrific quality"...