Rangers have officially appointed Philippe Clement as their new manager, beating Kevin Muscat to the position.

Clement who was formerly in charge of Monaco, expressed his excitement joining the Scottish Premiership side, saying, “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers Football Club.”

He acknowledged the challenges that comes with his new role, stating that Rangers is one of the leading football clubs in Europe, having participated in multiple competitions in the continent.

The Belgian coach emerged as the preferred choice for Rangers after leaving Monaco last season. Clement’s managerial experience includes success in his homeland, winning the Belgian First Division A title with Genk and twice with Club Brugge.

Meanwhile, Kevin Muscat, a former Rangers player was also a contender for the role but missed out. Muscat had made 22 appearances for the club during the 2002/03 campaign and has since built quite a reputation for himself since starting his managerial career in Australia and Japan.

talkSPORT reported that Rangers considered several candidates for the managerial position, including Scott Parker and Frank Lampard. However, Lampard was removed from the list following negative reaction from fans.

Rangers are currently second in the Scottish Premiership, and hope to close the gap with Clement’s presence, even as rivals and league leaders Celtic, top with seven points.

Rangers have faced a challengeing start to the new season, including suffering a defeat to Celtic in one of their early matches, but believes to turn around the table with their new manager.