Kris Boyd reckons Rangers appointing Davide Ancelotti would be too much of a gamble because he is unproven as a boss.
And the Gers hero feels Russell Martin would be a far safer pair of hands for the club to hang their hat on.
Ancelotti's name has been closely linked with the vacancy and it's believed he's keen to take it on as he looks to escape from the shadow of dad Carlo, for whom he's been an assistant for years.
The 35-year-old is a highly-rated coach and has been talked up by some of the superstar's he's coached at Bayern Munich, Everton, Napoli and Real Madrid.
However, he has never been a manager in his own right which is always comes with concerns at a club the size of Rangers.
Boyd is one who holds such reservations and feels the Italian is only being linked because of his surname.
Writing for The Scottish Sun, he said: "For me, the biggest reason Ancelotti is being considered is his surname and the fact dad, Carlo, is one of the most successful managers ever.
"That’s all well and good. Ancelotti Jr has worked at some of the world’s elite clubs as part of his dad’s staff.
"But I’m not sure that qualifies him for a job like Rangers.
"If we were just talking about someone not called Ancelotti, I don’t think there would be this clamour for him.
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"I respect the fact he’s coached at a high level, but it would be a massive gamble to name him the next manager of Rangers because he’s untested.
"We’re talking about someone who has zero understanding of Scottish football, so it would be asking a huge amount of him to adapt to the culture instantly."
Turning his attentions to Martin, Boyd feels his penchant for an attractive style of football would suit the Light Blues. He also hopes he's learned lessons from his Southampton struggles after getting them promoted to the Premier League.
"For a start, he’s played with Rangers, so he understands what’s excepted at Ibrox. This is also a guy who has shown he’s willing to put in the hard yards demanded in management.
"The question is whether or not his blueprint is suited to Rangers. Because one of the criticisms thrown at Martin is that he didn’t adapt to the Premier League when be won promotion from the Championship.
"Would his philosophy work at Rangers? I think it would, to a certain extent. But I also think he’ll have learned from his last job and will be a better manager now for being sacked.
"And I believe he would know how to tinker with his system for when he needs to break down teams that come to Ibrox just to defend.
"I’ve got to be honest, I’m not against the idea of Rangers appointing him. I really don’t think it would be the worst decision in the world. I would definitely see his appointment as less of a gamble than Ancelotti."
