GLASGOW — Rangers have appointed Derek McInnes as manager on a three-year contract after agreeing to a compensation deal with Hearts. McInnes replaces Danny Rohl, whose move to RB Salzburg was confirmed on Wednesday.

Rangers will receive a £2m compensation fee for Rohl's departure. McInnes is the third manager or head coach at Rangers in one year and assumes the job title 'manager'.

McInnes played for Rangers between 1995 and 2000. He began his coaching career at St Johnstone in 2007 and later worked at Bristol City. In 2013, he joined Aberdeen as manager, spending eight years there. During his tenure at Aberdeen, McInnes won the League Cup in his first full season and finished second behind Celtic in the Premiership for four consecutive campaigns. He also turned down an approach from Rangers in December 2017 to remain at Aberdeen.

In January 2022, McInnes became manager at Kilmarnock, steering the club back to the top-flight. Kilmarnock finished 10th in the Premiership in his first season, fourth in his second, and ninth in his third season. He then joined Hearts from Kilmarnock in the summer of 2025. During the 2025-26 season, he won 28 of his 44 matches in all competitions as Hearts manager, losing only one of his first 18 top-flight games. Hearts were unbeaten at home in the league that season and won three of their four meetings with Rangers. Hearts finished second in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025-26 season, while Celtic won the title. Rangers finished third, conceding 43 goals.

Danny Rohl managed 40 fixtures for Rangers across all competitions, recording 22 wins, 11 losses, and seven draws. Rangers lost four of their final five games in the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership season, winning one. They had entered the final five games of the season one point behind Hearts and two points ahead of Celtic.

Upon his appointment, Derek McInnes stated, "It is a real honour." He added, "The demands here are clear and our supporters rightfully have high expectations. It is up to me, my staff and my players to meet those expectations, and have this club performing as it should. There is a lot of hard work ahead, but already the preparations have begun and I am looking forward to meeting the current squad in the coming weeks and welcoming some new faces."

Hearts released a statement regarding McInnes's departure, noting that he made it clear he wished to pursue the opportunity at Rangers. The club stated, "Succession planning is a continuous process and preparations for this eventuality have already been undertaken." Hearts also indicated that a process to appoint a new head coach had begun, aiming for a swift appointment to drive further improvement and deliver success for their supporters. Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin, and Craig Clark will assist McInnes at Rangers. Rangers are scheduled to begin pre-season training the week of June 17, 2026, including a training camp in Austria. The Scottish Premiership season begins the first weekend of August 2026, with the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round scheduled for August 6, 2026.