Rangers have appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst as the club's new manager, it was announced on Thursday.

Van Bronckhorst played for Rangers from 1998 to 2001, winning two league titles and a domestic Treble, and succeeds Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

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The former Netherlands captain, who also represented Feyenoord, Arsenal and Barcelona during a glittering playing career, will become Rangers' 17th permanent manager subject to receipt of a work permit.

In his first position as a manager, Van Bronckhorst guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in 2017, won two Dutch cups, and oversaw a return to the Champions League group stage.

After leaving his boyhood club in 2019, Van Bronckhorst took charge of Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F but quit after less than a year in the position.

"I am absolutely delighted to be returning to Rangers as the club's new manager," Van Bronckhorst told the club's official website.

"I feel so lucky to be going to work with a squad which is in a great position on all fronts and largely has that experience of being winners.

"I look forward to carrying on and enhancing the work that has been done already alongside Ross Wilson and the board of the club, and I'm grateful for the chance to work again at this huge football club.

"I cannot wait to meet the club's incredible supporters again and begin this new era for us all."

Van Bronckhorst, 46, made 117 appearances for Rangers across three seasons, and was part of the Treble winning side of the 1998-99 season.

He takes over a side who sit top of the Scottish Premiership table, four points clear of rivals Celtic.

Under Gerrard, Rangers won the league title for the first time in 10 years last season, but the former Liverpool captain has since joined Premier League side Aston Villa.

Rangers play Hibernian in the semifinals of the Scottish League Cup on Sunday before they host Sparta Prague in a crucial Europa League group stage fixture on Thursday, with both sides in contention to qualify for the knockout rounds.

As a player, Van Bronckhorst won 106 Netherlands caps and captained the country to the 2010 World Cup final.

He won a Premier League title with Arsenal in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006, as well as two LaLiga crowns.

Van Bronckhorst is understood to have been Rangers' first-choice following Gerrard's departure.