PEDRO Caixinha, the Portuguese coach who is set to be confirmed as the new manager of Rangers this week, has an “aggressive” style and demands the “very best” from his players according to Jim Fleeting, the SFA Director of Football Development.

Fleeting worked with Caixinha when the 46-year-old was undertaking his coaching qualifications in Scotland and remembers him being an “extremely competent coach” who attained his A and B Licences with ease.

The appointment of the former Uniao Leiria, Nacional and Santos Laguna manager, who is currently in charge at Al-Gharafa in Qatar, ahead of the likes of Alex McLeish, Alex Neil and Gary Rowett has taken Scottish football by surprise.

However, Fleeting believes the experienced ex-Sporting Lisbon, Panathinaikos and Rapid Bucharest assistant - who followed the same route that his compatriot Jose Mourinho took into coaching after being personally urged to come here by the current Manchester United manager - will bring many qualities to the Ibrox role.

For he remembers how the SFA staff and other aspiring coaches had actually picked up advice on formations, man management and tactics from him while the former goalkeeper was at Inverclyde doing his training.

“Pedro completed his A Licence and his B Licence in Scotland, but he didn’t complete his UEFA Pro-Licence because he was offered a job during it and obviously had to take the opportunity,” said Fleeting. “He has done very well since which we obviously like to see.

“We have always had a sizeable Portuguese contingent on our coaching courses since Jose Mourinho, who was sent over here by Bobby Robson through his link with Andy Roxburgh, came over. He was kind enough to say some nice things about us. Last year we had three or four Portuguese coaches, including Costinha and Maniche.

“You always know you are going to see a few of them. We are fortunate because these boys bring something a bit different to the courses. We don’t like them to be the same. I sometimes think we are picking up as much from them as they are from us. It is always good to learn from other nationalities.

“Alan Stubbs remarked the other day that he learned a great deal just from just sitting at the same table for an hour with Pedro and the other Portuguese coaches on the course and listening to them talking about the game.”

Fleeting continued: “There is a certain way and style that they have that we don’t have. They are aggressive in their coaching. It’s not done in a nasty sense. They aren’t offending anybody. They just want to get it right. Pedro is certainly like that. That is something that we could learn from. Maybe at times we can be a bit laid back in this country.

“I get to know all of the coaches who come on the courses, but over the years we have probably had between 16,000 and 20,000. But Pedro was, no doubt about it, an extremely competent coach who sailed through his A and B Licences no problem.

“The Portuguese are also quite cool and Pedro was certainly very calm and collected. But when they get to the pitch there is this switch which goes off. They are determined that when their team goes out there they are going to deliver, they going to be the best. They are determined to get the very best out of their players.

“They are very focused in making sure what they are asking of their players is realistic and is carried out effectively. They know their team is going to get the message."

Fleeting, the former Kilmarnock manager, has no concerns about the ability of Caixinha, who will be unveiled as Mark Warburton’s permanent successor once Rangers have agreed compensation with Al-Gharafa, to handle his pressure and expectations new role.

“To manage Glasgow Rangers is a wonderful opportunity for anybody,” he said. “They are the second biggest club in Scotland at this moment in time and at one time they were the biggest. I have no doubt the Rangers board and Rangers fans want to see them get back to that. Pedro is a bold appointment and I am sure they will not be disappointed.”

Meanwhile, Fleeting has predicted that Graeme Murty, the ex-Reading and Scotland defender who has been in temporary charge of Rangers since the departure of Warburton last month, will have benefited hugely from his brief stint in the dugout at Ibrox.

Murty oversaw a thrilling 3-2 win over St. Johnstone in a Ladbrokes Premiership match at Ibrox last Wednesday night and also orchestrated an emphatic 6-0 victory over Hamilton at home in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

The 42-year-old, who was promoted from his position with the under-20 team at Auchenhowie on a temporary basis while directors were looking for a new manager, has admitted that he has still not decided whether to remain a youth coach or move into management.

Fleeting, though, feels the time the former ight back has spent in the dugout at Ibrox will open doors for him if he decides that his future lies in the senior game. “Graeme is currently doing his UEFA Pro-Licence,” he said. “To have something like managing Rangers on your CV will be invaluable to him going forward if he decides to move into management.”