DEREK McInnes has taken Aberdeen as far as they can go and he would be a good fit for the Rangers job.

That is the opinion of former Light Blues midfielder Alex Rae, who expects the Dons boss to be a frontrunner for the vacancy due to his knowledge of the high demands he would face at Ibrox.

Pedro Caixinha was sacked last week after just seven months in charge and McInnes has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed the Portuguese.

Read more: Peter Grant: Rangers job would interest Alan Pardew - he has the skin of a rhino

After leading the Pittodrie side to a second-place Premiership finish and runners-up spots in the Scottish Cup and Betfred Cup last term, Rae believes the 46-year-old would be tempted by the prospect of working with a bigger budget in Glasgow.

"I look at the dynamics up at Aberdeen and he's been to a couple of cup finals last year and he's won the League Cup a couple of years ago,” he told BBC Scotland.

"And I think, okay, that's as far as he can go. We talk about a challenge, the finances he would have at his disposal, would be substantially more.

"He knows the expectations, so when he comes on board, he knows that a draw's not good enough away to one of the provincial clubs.

"He knows the demands of the fans and I think this is one of the things that actually goes in his favour."

Another contender for the post is former Crystal Palace and Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew.

His former assistant Peter Grant believes the Englishman would be interested in the position and Rae believes Pardew’s experience makes him a good option if he is willing to make the move north.

He said: "I know Alan very well - I played against him when he was at Charlton for five years as a player and then I watched him develop into a manager.

"He had a very good Southampton team and some top players and he got promotion with them.

"The CV's very much there. It's really whether he would like to come up under the circumstances."