RANGERS Football Club can today confirm Stephan Van Der Heyden has joined the coaching staff as assistant manager to Philippe Clement.
Van Der Heyden first worked with the new boss in 2011 at Club Brugge and they link-up once again ahead of Saturday’s Scottish Premiership match against Hibernian.
An influential midfielder with Brugge, the 54-year-old also spent time playing in the Netherlands and France. He was also part of Belgium’s World Cup squad in 1994.
Turning to coaching, he was most recently assistant at Kerala Blasters in India, and has also coached in Belgium, Macedonia, and Jordan.
The full back-room staff will be confirmed in due course.
Speaking on joining Rangers, Van Der Heyden said: “I am looking forward to this challenge, it will be a big one, but I think it is a great club. One of the most beautiful things about football is that you meet different people and different cultures, not only football culture, but cultures in general.
“One thing in common is the supporters, they all expect the best from the team. The first impressions are good, I'm sure we can do something here and we can achieve something together.”
Manager Philippe Clement commented: “I am really happy to have Stephan join me here. We have known each other a long time and he has a lot of experience.
“He is someone who wants to work really hard, he is somebody who is humble, he is really passionate about football, and he is really focused on making players better, so it is a good support.
“For me it is also important to work together with the local staff and with people who know the club, who know the history, who have the passion for the club. I don't want to have this small Belgian island, I want to create one big family together.”