Kevin Muscat has spoken out for the first time after a deal was agreed for him to become Rangers' new manager.
And while the Australian, 52, did not directly address his future job, he has loosely hinted as to when he could move to Glasgow to take on the task.
Muscat is current manager of Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port.
It is believed he wants to see out the season in China, with his team in the midst of a title fight with Chengdu, which runs all the way until November 22.
Mathematically, they could wrap up the league by October 31.
However, when speaking to the media after Port's 4-3 win over Qingdao Hainiu today, Muscat alluded to the game prior to that against Shandong Taishan on Halloween.
“The schedule is indeed quite dense," he said. "Upon returning, we will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the squad and player condition.
“We may rotate players to some extent, based on our normal preparations.
“Besides the upcoming AFC Champions League Elite League, we also have a crucial match on the 26th of this month, for which the team will be fully prepared.
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“Overall, this victory was very important to us. The players’ commitment and attitude on the field showed that everyone was aware of the impact of this result.
“While we could have done better in some areas, especially in terms of seizing opportunities, considering this was an away game, we scored a lot of goals and ultimately returned to Shanghai with three points. The whole team is very happy and satisfied.
“We had analysed this before the game and knew that neither side could afford to lose, so we were prepared to face the difficulties.
“We knew that the opponent would intensify their attack in the second half, but would also leave us some space to counterattack.
“If there’s anything we need to summarise, it’s that we were a bit conservative at times, which resulted in our defence dropping deeper and giving our opponents more time to hold onto the ball and build their offence.”
While he sees out his commitments in China as part of Shanghai's agreement with Rangers, Muscat looks set to, at least, miss the games against Dundee United, Brann, Kilmarnock, and Hibernian.
If the league title is secured by the end of this month, then this could potentially set up his first match being in time for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic on Sunday, November 2.
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