Giovanni van Bronckhorst 'didn’t deserve for it to end the way that it did' at Rangers and has been backed to return stronger from his Ibrox sacking.

The Dutchman was removed from his position during the World Cup break just 12 months after returning to Glasgow to succeed Steven Gerrard as manager.

A debilitating injury crisis was the backdrop to a series of poor results, both domestically and in the Champions League, during his first full term in charge and he was replaced by Michael Beale last month.

And former Ibrox first team coach Dr Ceri Bowley, who moved from the City Group to join Rangers in August, knows how much the situation hurt Van Bronckhorst as he kept his counsel in public.

"He hasn’t been short of offers and he won’t be short of offers and he will be back managing, for sure," Bowley told Herald and Times Sport. "I think he will manage at a good level, I really do.

"As a person, what you see and what you experience is genuinely who he is. When he works with us, that is what he is like. He trusts people to do their job, he gives trust to players.

"With most people you have to earn that, but he starts from a position of giving you trust and you work from there. An outstanding guy.

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"It is a real shame the way that it went. It is a real shame because he didn’t deserve for it to end the way that it did.

"Nobody hurt more than him, I can tell you that. Nobody hurt more than him.

"When he first came to City, you could tell how much he loved Rangers. When he talks through his career, he says it is probably the best time in his career because they were all young, they had such a brilliant time at the club winning trophies and also around the city.

"He looked back on his time at Rangers so fondly. He is a Rangers man and nothing hurt him more than the situation towards the end.

"I know he used to get stick for not coming out and being really open and chucking people under the bus and showing this and showing that, but he is a respectful guy.

"He took a lot on the chin towards the end, a lot on the chin. He could have easily deflected to other people but he didn’t.

"He demonstrated integrity and class, protected everyone, protected the players, the staff, the club, everything. He will always do that because that is the guy that he is and he always operates with class."

Van Bronckhorst returned to Ibrox having enjoyed historic success at Feyenoord and guided his side to within a penalty kick of the Europa League in Seville before ending Rangers' long wait for Scottish Cup success at Hampden.

A record transfer fee was banked for Calvin Bassey as Joe Aribo also moved on before victory over PSV Eindhoven secured Rangers Champions League football for the first time in more than a decade.

READ MORE: Why Giovanni van Bronckhorst is another nice guy who failed at Rangers

Supporters raised huge concerns over the squad that was assembled this term and Van Bronckhorst paid the ultimate price as Rangers underperformed and underachieved in trying circumstances before the World Cup break.

Bowley said: "If you take [his achievements] to most European clubs, they will say that isn’t bad. When you put the two together, it gives you an idea of who he is and what he is.

"People will say that you don’t get time at Rangers. I get that, I totally appreciate that and I respect what the fans say in that way. But when you inherit a squad halfway through a season, it isn’t easy. I can guarantee you that.

"The first real transfer window was the summer. Each club has their own unique approach to transfers often driven by what the club needs to be and what's the most important thing at that moment in time, you end up in the position you are in.

"As a person, top class. I think his reputation as a player, who he is as a person, the way he represented the club in some of the most difficult moments, they tell you everything about the guy."

*Read an exclusive interview with former Rangers coach Ceri Bowley on Saturday as he discusses his move to Ibrox, the Champions League campaign and the struggles Giovanni van Bronckhorst faced as manager.