Former Liverpool Academy coach Michael Beale is reportedly in contention to become the manger of Rangers.
Multiple reports have today suggested the 42-year-old is the frame to take charge of the Scottish side as they continue their search for a Giovanni van Bronckhort replacement and is described as being in 'pole position' to land the vacant role by the Daily Telegraph.
Beale previously spent three years serving as Steven Gerrard's assistant at the Gers, helping deliver the club's first league title in 10 years in the process. He later accepted a similar role at Aston Villa under Gerrard, before taking the leap of faith to become QPR head coach at the start of the current season.
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After catching the eye at Championship level, he was approached by Wolves to replace Bruno Lage but turned down this opportunity last month.
The promising manager joined the Reds from Chelsea in 2012, initially becoming responsible for the under-16s side before progressing to become the manager of the under-23s between 2014 and 2017. A rare opportunity arose in January 2017 to serve as an assistant at Sao Paulo in the Brazilian top-flight, however, and saw Beale end his association with the Reds.
This exciting opportunity lasted only six months after taking the difficult decision to step down from his role just six months after his appointment. Beale subsequently returned to the Reds' Academy set-up in September of the same year to take on the role of head of coaching for players operating between under-5s and under-11s age groups.
Looking back on his leap of faith to leave Merseyside in the hope of learning new skills abroad, Beale told Sky Sports in July: "No it's not [a normal route for a young British coach] but at the same time what an opportunity to go and work in Brazil and learn a second language in my first time at first-team level. It was a huge club. Their academy is one of the most famous academies in the world and when I saw that I was seduced by it and wanted to give it a go.
"It was the best decision I made - albeit I wasn't ready to leave Liverpool. A lot of the jobs I've left, I wasn't ready to leave but the opportunity to make that next challenge and that next step I felt was important to me."
A popular figure during his time at the Reds' Kirkby youth base, one player the Bromley-born coach helped develop while serving as a Liverpool employee was none other than Trent Alexander-Arnold - a player who requires no introduction. Watching the rise of the 24-year-old from afar has been an enjoyable experience for Beale, who has nothing but good memories of his time with the club.
"It was fantastic [at Liverpool]. Both Brendan and Jurgen wanted to give young players an opportunity. I had the best moments in my career at Liverpool. I learnt loads there. It was completely different to Chelsea. It was what I was looking for. It wasn't a case of looking for grass that was greener but grass that was cut a little bit different - and it was. Two hugely successful clubs, successful academies but in different ways," he said.
"I worked with some fantastic young players. The biggest one is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who came through and has won everything there is to win at such a young age. Every time I see him play I just smile because I know the journey he's been on to get there."
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