Bookie closes book on Mcleish but he insists there has been ‘no contact’

Alex Mcleish insists he has had no contact from Rangers despite one bookmaker having suspended betting on him being named Ibrox manager.

Scottish league sponsor Ladbrokes closed its book on the vacancy after favourite Mcleish attracted more bets in the wake of Rangers’ defeat by Dundee on Friday.

But Mcleish told the Scottish Sun :“Iwouldlikeittobe known that there has been no contact from anyone at Rangers and it’s important that the speculation is put to rest.”

Mcleish had been the favourite with several bookmakers even before Aberdeen manager Derek Mcinnes last week insisted he was staying at Pittodrie, amid ongoing speculation linking him with a return to Ibrox.

Rangers sacked Pedro Caixinha more than a month ago and have lost their last two games under caretaker boss Graeme Murty.

Mcleish was interviewed for the job before Caixinha was appointed in March and later expressed reservations about some issues which came up in talks with the club.

The former Scotland manager won seven trophies during four and a half years as Rangers manager from December 2001, including two titles.

His most recent managerial job was a short stint at Egyptian side Zamalek early last year.

Rangers face a Premiership double header with Aberdeen this week, hosting the Dons on Wednesday before travelling north for a Sunday meeting.

0 Alex Mcleish: Interviewed. AC Milan sacked Vincenzo Montella and named former Rangers player Gennaro Gattuso as their new coach yesterday.

Milan, who spent nearly £180 million on new players in the summer, have won only two of their last nine matches, of which they have lost six.

The Rossoneri have been beaten by Lazio, Roma, Inter, Juventus and Napoli – the top five teams in the Serie A table. The move came a day after a dispiriting 0-0 draw at home to Torino which left Milan in seventh place in Serie A.

Milan tweeted yesterday that they had “parted ways” with Montella and that “management of the first team is entrusted to Gennaro Gattuso”.

Seven-time European champions, Milan also face financial fair play inquiries from Uefa after a close-season spending spree brought in an entire squad of new players.

There have been questions over the financial stability of the Chineseled consortium that purchased the club from Silvio Berlusconi for just over £600 million in April.

Gattuso, who had been in charge of the club’s youth squad, won the 2003 and 2007 Champions League titles with Milan as a gritty midfielder. The 39-year-old also previously coached Sion, Palermo, OFI Crete and Pisa.

Gattuso becomes Milan’s seventh coach (including caretakers) since Massimiliano Allegri, now at Juventus, was sacked in January 2014.

Montella was hired in June 2016 and led Milan to a sixth-place finish and a Europa League spot last season – ending a drought of three years without playing in continental competition. They won all four Europa League qualifying matches and their first two Serie A games. Then a 4-1 loss at Lazio showed how vulnerable the squad was.

Leonardo Bonucci, Italy’s top defender who was brought in from Juventus, has had a difficult start and the big group of new players has failed to gel.

Gattuso’s debut will come at bottom-placed Benevento on Sunday.