Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been named as a shock outsider to become the next manager of QPR.

The Dutchman is on the hunt for a new position after he was axed as Rangers manager last month following a string of poor results in the Scottish Premiership.

Van Bronckhorst was replaced by Michael Beale who joined the club from QPR as he returned to Glasgow following a stint as assistant working under Steven Gerrard.

Now SkyBet have named Van Bronckhorst as an outsider to replace Beale at Loftus Road. The former Ibrox hero is priced at 33/1, with Steven Gerrard also quoted at 20/1.

The current favourite is Neil Critchley at 6/5, while Chris Wilder (4/1), Anthony Barry (7/1) and Marti Cifuentes (7/1) are also priced short.

Beale's decision to leave the Championship club and join Rangers was heavily criticised yesterday by former QPR star and Scotland international Jamie Mackie.

He fumed: “Michael Beale came into QPR having been a complete unknown, a complete newby to management.

“He was given a fantastic opportunity by QPR and he drove this culture - as he said in an interview he did himself - about integrity and longevity.

“He was speaking to some players on a personal level, and their families, about the buy-in to the project he was doing, and not jumping ship straight away.

“There was a feeling around the football club that there was a longterm plan.

“That was set out by the board in a really good way, and he was the one who was driving that.

“Now he’s straight away jumping ship, exactly what he said he wasn’t going to do, he’s done.

“That’s where the problem comes.

“Everyone would understand - as a player or manager - when you get the opportunity to go into the Premier League.

“Everyone would respect and understand the fact he might do that.

“But he was the one who came out and spoke about integrity. So I really question his integrity, obviously.

“And I really wonder what other chairman in the future, at other football clubs, will think about that.

“Rangers have got him because they had a relationship with him before and they understand him.

“But I look at it and go ‘do I want that character moving forward?’ I’m not so sure.

“For the players at QPR now it leaves them where they want to get the club promoted again. But he’s jumped ship so they’re maybe thinking ‘is this where we are again? Is it short term again?

“This is not on the football club because they couldn’t help this.

“But he should have come out and said nothing.

“There is no issue with him wanting him to be a progressive manager - it’s a selfish game.

“And his Premier League may be Rangers - that may be his ultimate dream and that’s fine.

“But I also noticed he was in the stands when the old Rangers manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst hadn’t been sacked yet, but was under major pressure. I don’t like that, I really don’t like that.

“And I certainly wouldn’t like that if I was a manager.

“He said he was going up there ‘as a fan,’ well, two weeks later he was up there getting the job. That doesn’t sit well with me. 

“And it certainly wouldn’t if I was an opposing manager. I don’t think it’s the right way to act.”

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