Nacho is now fully recovered and raring to go

NACHO Novo says he is feeling strong again after his shock heart attack and is ready to go into management.

The popular ex-Rangers star received thousands of messages of goodwill from around the world after taking ill in January and having to undergo a heart procedure in Berlin where he had been playing in a tournament for a Rangers Legends side.

The 39-year-old has been recovering since and insists he is now feeling good and is determined to show his worth as a manager following a 20-year playing career which took him from his native Spain to Scot- land, and America to Northern Ireland.

As well as Rangers, he played for Raith, Dundee and Greenock Morton. There was also a spell in Poland with Legia Warsaw and he was with Carolina Railhawks in the States before making the move to Belfast in 2016.

His final club turned out to be Glentoran in the Irish League, and that’s where he would love to start his management career.

“As soon as I heard about the situation that Glentoran were looking for a new manager I thought I would like to have a chance to do the job,” said Novo, who recently opened a bar in Glasgow.

“I believe I would bring experience to the role from all my time in football and I would also have good people with lots of experience beside me.

“An important point is that I feel I could bring some really good young players into the club and with the fans behind us we could all move on together.

“I believe I could work with experienced players and also give a lot to kids who want to improve.

“That would be a big thing for me to try and make youngsters better players and help them achieve their dreams.”

Novo was keen to thank all those who had been in touch after his heart attack at the start of the year.

He admitted that the well-wishers were a great source of comfort at the time of his recovery.

“All over the world people were getting in touch. I was receiving so many lovely messages which was really nice because it was a tough time,” said the former striker.

“I received a lot of messages from Northern Ireland and from Glentoran fans and that meant a lot to me.

“Obviously what happened was a shock, but I’m fine now and feeling strong and I’m ready to go into management.

“I have confidence in myself that I could do a good job.

“When I was a player I always gave my all and tried to be positive for the team and that is what I would do as a manager.” Top job: Nacho Novo would love to manage Glentoran