As a player, Nacho Novo was adored by the Rangers support for his desire and will to win. 

It’s those qualities he’s aiming to instil in the future generation as he embarks on an exciting coaching opportunity in the United States.

The Spaniard was recently appointed assistant manager and under-23s head coach of the newly-formed Kentucky-based outfit Lexington Sporting Club.

Novo harbours ambitious plans himself of following in the footsteps of his former Ibrox mentors Walter Smith and Alex McLeish whom he helped to deliver substantial success.

Speaking to the Rangers Review, Novo says the move across the Atlantic Ocean was an offer he couldn’t refuse: “Sam Stockley, the Sporting Director contacted me to tell me he had something special. He played with me at North Carolina and said that he was building a team from scratch and was hoping to make them professional.

“So I just said, ‘Yes. I will be there. Happy days!’

“You can’t build a team from scratch in England or Scotland so, for me, it was exciting and I wanted to be part of it.

“I’m really serious about this and the owners are good people, they love football and are serious to get to the top league – the MLS - which is exciting.

“At the moment we’re building the first team squad so it involves too much office work and looking for players when I want to be on the park but you’re always learning.

“They have American football and basketball with the college but they don’t have a pro soccer team so it’s a good thing for us to try to make it happen. I just can’t wait now to start pre-season in February.

Rangers Review: (Image: NQ)

Novo admits it’s been a struggle to get his foot on the first rung of the coaching ladder but, much like his playing career, he’s determined to succeed. “I always wanted to go into coaching as soon as I finished my career but it’s so hard,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an ex-player or not, you need to wait for that chance and it’s about taking an opportunity when it comes. I want to prove I can be a good head coach and there’s nowhere better than to start here.

“It’s an exciting moment for me. I want to build up myself to get to the top. I want to have three years here to prove myself and get better and better.”

As Novo embarks on his coaching journey, he credits Smith as having a huge impact on his career.

“From each manager I’ve taken a lot of things,” he said.

Alex McLeish was great, Manolo Preciado, who I played under at Sporting Gijon in La Liga, was great and a character as well. He was a Diego Simeone type. He was crazy but the training was good and he pushed everybody to play better and Walter, for me, was the one who was the best I’ve ever seen at dealing with the players.

“I think these days it’s how you treat the players that’s important, especially with kids. I tell them, ‘I’m not going to shout at you for making a mistake, I’m going to encourage you.’

“Making mistakes is good to gain experience, you just have to give them confidence. Some players need you to shout at them and some players need a cuddle. These days you need to be prepared for different characters in the dressing room.

“Walter always encouraged me, I don’t think he ever shouted at me. He shouted at other players when they needed it but not with me.

“Although one time after training he said ‘Nacho, I want you to get a flight tomorrow morning and disappear from my face for one week. Go to the beach in Spain, relax and come back.’

“I said, ‘No, I want to train,’ but he said, ‘No,’ so I said, ‘Okay, gaffer!’ because you can’t compete with him, that was Walter. As soon as he’s looking at you in the eyes, you say, ‘Okay, I will say nothing!’

“He was one of the legendary managers and person as well. He was a family guy, that’s the type of person I like to be around.”

Novo is settled in America but does he yearn for a return to his old stomping ground in a coaching capacity?

“It’s a club I love and you never know. Maybe in the future, I can do something,” he said.

“At the moment I’m very happy here. It’s a family thing, everybody knows each other and everybody works for each other. That’s the good thing about football, sometimes you get a great opportunity like this. Everybody loves me here and it’s work that I love - so happy days.”

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