MANCHESTER CITY youth chief Mark Allen is set to take the Rangers reins and become the new Director of Football at Ibrox.

SportTimes understands Allen is the man that the Gers board have chosen to head up their football operation as they finalise their off-field structure.

Allen has been Academy Director at City since Sheikh Mansour bought the club and has overseen a series of successes at youth level in recent years.

The official line from Rangers on Wednesday evening was that they would ‘not comment on speculation’ but it is believed that Allen is now poised to take up a key position at Ibrox.

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After bringing the curtain down on his playing career with Swindon Town in the early 80s, Allen spent four years at the United States University in San Diego on a Business Administration with Accounting course.

He would return to the game with City eight years ago after spells as Managing Director of Broadcast Services with MTV Europe and as a Managing Director with Deluxe Digital London.

City have invested heavily in their youth structure over the last few years, with Allen at the heart of their plans to produce their own stars of the future.

Now he will be tasked with implementing his ideas at Ibrox and will work closely with boss Pedro Caixinha, Head of Academy Craig Mulholland and the Light Blues board as Rangers look to build for a brighter future on and off the park.