KARL ROBINSON, the MK Dons manager, has made known he is not interested in joining Rangers after discovering he was a potential target of the Ibrox club.

Herald Sport understands that the highly-rated 34-year-old is seen as fitting the bill in terms of the new direction the directors want to take Rangers, following the past four seasons, and that he was made aware of their admiration for the job he has done with his current club.

A source close to Robinson said it was a case of "right club, wrong time" and he is in fact expected to sign a long term deal with the team he has led to the Championship for the first time in their short history. But that he was also flattered to be on any list of Rangers managerial candidates.

Stuart McCall, the current Rangers manager, has admitted that there was a chance he would not be given the job on a full time basis even if he can steer the club through the play-offs and back to the Scottish Premiership.

However, he remains in pole position, especially if he can deliver top tier football. Rangers face Queen of the South at Ibrox on Sunday and have a 2-1 lead in their play-off match, with the winners taking on Hibernian.

For Rangers to even be considering Liverpudlian Robinson reveals what the club's regime believe is way forward.

Robinson enjoys an excellent reputation down south for the way he has built MK Dons up from the bottom having taken over from Paul Ince five years ago who he had served as an assistant manager.

He is credited with creating a thriving youth set-up and scouting network, and Under 21 team, which is exactly what Rangers are looking to create.

In over four years he spent just £100,000 on players and raised £4.5million; figures that would appeal to any board of directors and especially one at a club which has thrown away so much money over recent times.

Robinson was the Football League's youngest manager when he was appointed as Ince's successor five years ago at just 30. He began is coaching career at Liverpool where he worked with the youth team and went on to work with Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers. Injury curt short his playing career and at 29 he became the youngest ever holder of the Pro-Licence.