Derek McInnes has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson personally endorsed his decision to become Rangers manager, marking a full-circle moment nine years after the Manchester United legend advised him to turn down the same role.
Ferguson's seal of approval
McInnes, 54, was appointed Rangers boss after being headhunted from Hearts to replace Danny Rohl. The former Ibrox midfielder said Ferguson contacted him to express his delight at the move. “Aye, I spoke to Sir Alex the other day actually, he was delighted,” McInnes said. “He enjoyed coming to see our stuff at Hearts last season and he thought we had a special thing going. But he understood why I'm here, and we had a good chat the other day. He sounded in good form. Obviously he's not been in the best of health, so I'm delighted to have that chat with him.”
Second chance after 2017 rejection
McInnes first rejected Rangers in 2017 during Dave King's chairmanship, a decision he made after consulting Ferguson and the late Walter Smith. “The two people that I spoke to at the time obviously were Walter and Sir Alex,” McInnes said. “And Sir Alex reminded me of the conversations we had back then when we spoke this week. Both he and Walter were adamant that I made the right call. They supported me on that and advised me based on the circumstances then. But I'm pretty sure Sir Alex and the gaffer would have advised me to go for it this time around.”
New ownership structure
This time, Rangers’ American chairman Andrew Cavenagh and CEO Jim Gillespie made the approach, and McInnes said the conditions were right. “I do feel there's a confidence with the ownership here. Having Jim as well working alongside Andrew and the board, I feel that there's a real togetherness and a real idea of what we're trying to be off the pitch and on the pitch,” he said. “It’s up to me to try and deliver the on-pitch stuff as best I can. But I do think that the intention is to try and be a successful Rangers, because it's no enjoyable here if you're not winning.”
Emotional homecoming
McInnes, who becomes the 22nd manager in Rangers history, admitted he feared his chance had passed. “Aye, of course,” he said when asked if he thought he’d missed his opportunity. “But I always hoped that it would come round. I did say it would probably have to be a different set of circumstances, different owners and people with who there wasn't that sort of history from that time.” He added: “I feel the weight of responsibility, and it's a responsibility that I'm well aware of, that we need to do our job well here.”
