ALAN STUBBS has given Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha his backing for the Rangers job as speculation mounts that the 46-year-old is set to take over at Ibrox.
The former Hibernian manager, who won the Scottish Cup with the Easter Road outfit last season, got to know Caixinha while taking coaching courses in Scotland.
And the ex-Celtic defender thinks that the current Al-Gharafa boss has what it takes to succeed at Ibrox.
"I think he could be very good," Stubbs told BBC Scotland.
"It is a left-field choice because I don't think anyone would have thought of this in the first place, but that doesn't mean he's not a right fit for the club.
"He could come and do fantastically well and the board would be judged to have made a great signing - only time will tell.
"But he's got the right tools to do a very good job at Rangers and that's the most important thing."
Caixinha is currently coaching in Qatar and has previously had spells in Mexico with Santos Laguna and his home country Portugal with Uniao Leiria and Nacional.
But Stubbs doesn't think that a lack of experience of football on these shores would be a major obstacle for the coach.
"The biggest thing is not about his experience of it - it's about how quickly he learns," Stubbs explained.
"Knowing Pedro and how intelligent he is in terms of styles of football, it won't be a problem for him - I can't see it being an obstacle that could prevent him being a success in the job.
"Sometimes, you're in a no-win situation. If they go for one of the well-known people, some will say that's short-sighted and, because Pedro's name has been mentioned, people will go "Oh, we've never heard of him'.
"That doesn't mean he's not a good coach. I'm sure there are a lot of good coaches that people have never heard of and have gone on and done really good jobs.
"He came across early on as someone who is very clear in how he wanted to coach.
"He had his own ideas, is very knowledgeable and is a really nice guy.
"Everyone gets on well on the courses, but Pedro had a very enthusiastic view about British football.
"He was very inquisitive about it and loved the way it was played.
"He's a great guy, is a great personality and has gone his own way. He's been a coach and now he's a head coach and he's done very well."
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