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The Dutchman (left) is such a clear favourite for the job that betting is now suspended on him replacing Steven Gerrard (right) in the dugout at Ibrox, after Gerrard left the Scottish champions to join Aston Villa on Thursday. The Ibrox Channel Twitter account posted a video of van Bronckhorst, who has previously described the prospect of managing Rangers as a 'huge honour', in the capital for meetings with club chiefs about filling the vacant managerial position. The caption read: It's another #IbroxChannel EXCLUSIVE! Giovanni van Bronckhorst arriving in London for talks with #RangersFC about the vacant manager position  #Rangers #Gio #GVB #Oranje #EveryoneAnyone #Netherlands'. The video shows former Feyenoord and Guangzhou boss van Bronckhorst walking down the street in discussion with another man, being led by a security guard outside a Pret a Manger shop. Both Rangers and van Bronckhorst are reportedly keen to wrap up negotiations quickly.

Adama Traore (centre), Allan Saint-Maximin (left), Neymar and Kylian Mbappe (right)have made the cut for the best dribblers in Europe this season according to a new analysis, but Lionel Messi (inset) does not even make the top 50. The latest statistics suggest Traore is the best with the ball is at his feet, which underlines the interest building in the Wolves winger ahead of the January transfer window, even if he still struggles to convert exciting runs into goals and chances. In a study from CIES football observatory, Traore has recorded 11.2 successful dribbles for every 100 minutes of play, well ahead of his nearest rival, Portuguese Rafael Leao of AC Milan, who achieved 7.2. Newcastle United's Allan Saint-Maximin is Europe's third-best dribbler, 7.02 successful runs per 100 minutes, while Paris Saint-Germain's superstar Neymar ranks fifth (6.28) and Mbappe (5.33) tenth. But most notable by his absence from the list is PSG's Messi, who fails to make the list of the top 50 ballers in the big five European Leagues.

Norwich sacked Daniel Farke last weekend with the basement club already five points adrift of safety, although the decision was announced just hours after they picked up their first win of the season at Brentford. And it appears that Smith, 50, is set for a return to management just six days after departing Villa Park - with his arrival to be announced shortly. Reports have suggested that Craig Shakespeare, the former Leicester head coach, is expected to follow Smith as his No 2 after assisting him at Villa. Sportsmail reported that Frank Lampard dropped out of the running for the vacancy yesterday, a move which paved the way for Smith to become the leading contender.

Rapper Big Narstie appeared in Sports Direct's Christmas advert along with Emma Raducanu, but revealed on Channel 4's 'The Big Narstie Show' that he expected to meet former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu (inset) instead following an embarrassing mix-up in communication that left him red-faced. 'It was this girl, she's a big superstar tennis player,' he explained. 'I didn't hear the Emma Radu part, all I heard was Kanu.'

It's a well trodden path in football. The managerial merry-go-round often sees a coach sacked, and a desire to bring back a feel-good atmosphere at a club. This may see them turn to a former player, but this leads to mixed results historically. Xavi is the latest to step into the breach, having taken the reins at Barcelona. His playing days there were trophy-laden, and he has turned his meticulous attention to detail to the dugout as he looks to bring glory back to the Nou Camp. With Ronald Koeman, another Catalonia old boy, axed, the pressure is on Xavi to form a winning project. He may look to previous examples of legends returning to their old stomping ground - with Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane leading the way. Here, Sportsmail takes a look at what happens when club greats step into coaching for their former sides, as well as the major successes and failures.

Newcastle United's players were put through their paces at St. James' Park on Saturday morning. Eddie Howe - who was appointed as the Newcastle manager after the club's owners sacked Steve Bruce - decided to conduct his training session at their home ground. The session at St. James' Park took place a week before the Magpies host Brentford in Howe's first match in charge.

Africa's most famous footballer can't even escape the mania on the pitch, as Mohamed Salah was mobbed three times during Egypt's clash with Angola. The Liverpool superstar once again played a decisive role as the Pharaohs secured their place in the World Cup qualifying play-offs by coming from behind for a 2-2 draw.  Salah provided a skilful assist as part of their comeback from 2-0 down, which encountered a trio of disruptions as fans invaded the pitch. One Salah-mad supporter sprinted across the turf just as Egypt were launching an attack for the winner. The forward obliged with a hug before police arrived to march the fan out of the 11 de Novembro Stadium.

Fans have taken to social media to praise Kylian Mbappe for scoring a sensational back-heel goal during a France training session. The Paris Saint-Germain striker joined his France teammates in the training session on Saturday morning ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan. During the session, Mbappe scored an 'obscene' goal that involved him back-heeling the ball into the net without looking.

Second half substitute Christian Pulisic headed home a cross from Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie slotted home another as the young United States team beat old rival Mexico 2-0 in World Cup qualifying on Friday. After an intense first half where U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen made two crucial saves, the fired up Cincinnati crowd roared its approval when Pulisic, who had been nursing a sprained ankle, came in off the bench. TQL Stadium practically exploded five minutes later when the 23-year-old Chelsea winger headed home the go-ahead goal. McKennie's aggressive play was rewarded in the 85th minute when he scored to put the game out of reach for El Tri.

DOMINIC KING: In the high stakes of professional football, reputations and jobs hinge on the success of how clubs plot their way through the transfer market and few have done it better than Michael Edwards (centre, with Jurgen Klopp), who Liverpool have confirmed will leave at the end of the season. The illusive figure who always shunned publicity and worked in the shadows, Edwards was the genius behind manipulating Barcelona perfectly and sealing an astounding £146m deal for Philippe Coutinho (left). This move paved the way for every success to come. With the arrivals of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson (left inset) Liverpool became the world's most formidable side - spearheaded by a certain Mo Salah (right) who Edwards had been desperate to recruit. In his parting statement Edwards wished all the success to his soon-to-be replacement Julian Ward (inset bottom right), but only time will now tell whether change is a good thing and the right decision has been made.

There is no debate around Kamaru Usman's (left) status as the UFC's pound-for-pound No 1 and the 'Nigerian Nightmare' is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest of all time.  On Saturday night he put his closest rival to the sword for a second time in a decision win over Colby Covington and he is starting to 'lap' the welterweight division. Usman has not tasted defeat for 11 years, developed fearsome striking to go with his dominant wrestling and it is hard to see where he might slip up. Khamzat Chimaev (centre), Vicente Luque (second from right) and Leon Edwards (right) are all in with a chance.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN DUBAI: It is only a fortnight since Australia limped to an eight-wicket defeat against England that seemed to reflect the chasm between the sides.  On Sunday in Dubai, it is they - not Eoin Morgan's team - who line up in the final against New Zealand, with a new name certain to be etched on the T20 World Cup trophy. The sense of a group of underdogs proving critics wrong is unfamiliar to Australian cricket. But three wins out of three since the England debacle, including Thursday's stunning heist against the unbeaten Pakistanis, has encouraged the feeling that this might be their time.