Almost 6000 miles away in Guangzhou, China, Jean-Paul van Gastel settles down to watch a Rangers game on TV. In a corner of Hooley’s Irish Pub, the Dutch coach is eager to see how his best mate is getting on at Ibrox. And perhaps wonder what might have been if had he followed his pal to Glasgow.
In November last year, van Gastel took a call from Giovanni van Bronckhorst who offered him the job as Rangers’ new assistant boss. After all, the pair hadn’t just played together at Feyenoord they had also led the Dutch side to an Eredivisie title in 2017, with Gio as gaffer. Van Gastel was torn. Between the prospect of continuing their successful partnership in the dugout at Ibrox or following his dream of being a manager in his own right. And his decision to choose Guangzhou over Govan is one of the toughest he has ever had to make.
Last season, instead of being embroiled in a sensational run to the Europa League Final and a Scottish Cup triumph with Rangers, he had to settle for a place in his local bar. Van Gastel, who was Van Bronckhorst’s right-hand man, has spoken for the first time since rejecting the role at Gers. In an exclusive interview with Record Sport , he said: “Gio called me to see if I was interested in assisting him in the Rangers job. For me, it was a case of, ‘Wow’. The thought of working with Gio in Glasgow, at such a big, famous UK club, was a nice opportunity.
