SPFL CONFIRM: Rangers will still sack Phillipe Clement if they win Scottish Cup

Peter Croonen, the head of Genk, acknowledges that he still feels bad about losing the Belgian coach in 2019.

After barely 18 months in Genk, the 49-year-old left for Club Brugge, just weeks after leading the Belgian team to the championship.

And according to Croonen, the squad and he are still haunted by that move.

Before joining Ligue 1 powerhouse Monaco, Clement would go on to win three more championships in his native country.

Furthermore, Croonen has informed the Ibrox club that they wish to keep Clement in Glasgow for as long as possible,

given that Rangers are now headed in the correct direction under his leadership.

“ Croonen stated to the Daily Record. He has demonstrated his ability to sustain performance across multiple seasons.

“His departure following that first title is the single aspect of his appointment at Genk that I regret.

Despite our requests for him to stay, he chose to depart.

Clement has quickly erased Celtic’s seven-point lead that they had at Ibrox upon his appointment.

Rangers now lead the Premiership standings by two points, and should they overcome Hearts on Saturday,

they might close the difference to five points before Celtic’s next game.

When asked if he was taken aback by Clement’s accomplishments in a brief period of time,

Croonen replied, “Not at all. Looking at Philippe’s past, you can see that in his second season leading the team, he turned us into champions.

“He moved to Brugge and turned them into three-time champions.

As a result, he is among the few head coaches in Belgian football history to have won four straight titles with two separate teams.

If I’m being completely honest, I think that we participated in the Champions League solely because Philippe was our head coach,

at least somewhat. For Brugge,

I can say the same thing. Without him, I don’t think they would have participated in three Champions League games.