Russell Martin misses out on immediate new job abroad two months on from Rangers sacking

Russell Martin will not become the new manager of MLS outfit Columbus Crew, talkSPORT understands.

Despite being one of the final candidates assessed by the American side, Martin has not been offered the role.

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It means the 39-year-old’s wait for a return to the dugout following his Rangers sacking in October will continue.

Henrik Rydstrom, who has managed exclusively in Sweden, is expected to become the Crew’s next head coach.

Martin was only appointed at Ibrox in June – ending six months out of the game having been axed by Southampton in December 2024.

While many expected him to lead Rangers to a Scottish Premiership title charge, he endured a nightmare spell as boss.

In total, he lasted just 17 matches – winning five across all competitions – while losing and drawing six times each.

He left Rangers eighth in the table at the time of his dismissal – entering his name in the club’s record books for all the wrong reasons.

Having been at the helm for a mere 123 days, Martin boasts the unwanted honour of being Rangers’ shortest-serving permanent manager.

The Crew have been on the lookout for a new manager since Wilfried Nancy departed at the start of the month.

Ironically, Nancy swapped Ohio for Glasgow, as he was appointed at Rangers’s bitter rivals Celtic.

Though just like Martin experienced, the Frenchman is yet to win over fans having lost four of his six matches – including the Scottish League Cup final.

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The Crew represent an attractive proposition for their new coach given they have won four major trophies this decade.

The end-of-season MLS Cup was secured in both 2020 and 2023, while they lifted the Campeones Cup and Leagues Cup in 2021 and 2024 respectively.

Despite heading into the 2025 campaign as defending champions, it turned out to be a disappointing season for Columbus.

Finishing in seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, they were then knocked out in the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs by FC Cincinnati in the three-game series.

Columbus will kick off the 2026 MLS season with a trip to Oregon where they face Portland Timbers on February 22.

Another clash on the road will then take place at Sporting Kansas City the following week, before a first home match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field against Chicago Fire on March 8.