Steven Gerrard on Rangers shortlist as manager appointment moves closer

Steven Gerrard is on a shortlist of candidates to become the next Rangers manager, with the club moving closer to making an appointment.

The Englishman had a previous spell at Ibrox between 2018-2021 and is a strong contender to return to the Glasgow club

Real Madrid assistant coach Davide Ancelotti is also under consideration, while former Southampton boss Russell Martin – who played for Rangers – has been linked with the post

STV understands any appointment will need to be ratified by the board, while the club’s potential new owners also have an input into who becomes the next Rangers boss. A preferred candidate has yet to be put to the board, but a shortlist has been compiled.

Gerrard moved to Rangers to take on his first managerial role ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, and guided the club to back-to-back second-place finishes before winning their first league title in ten years by clinching the Premiership crown in 2021.

His arrival also signalled an upturn in European performances, earning group stage football for the first time in eight years in his first season, losing just two of 14 games that campaign.

In the following two years, they secured knockout stage football and reached the last 16 of the Europa League in consecutive seasons.

However, domestic cup competitions continued to elude him, coming closest in 2019 when they lost the League Cup final to Celtic.

The legendary Liverpool and England captain left Ibrox midway through the 2021/22 campaign to join Aston Villa in the Premier League.

But he lasted less than a year at Villa Park, finishing 14th in his first season before being sacked after winning only two league games from the first 12 the following season.

The 44-year-old then spent two seasons with Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia before leaving his position there earlier this year.

Since Gerrard left less than four years ago, Rangers have had three permanent managers in Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and Philippe Clement.

Clement was relieved of his duties in February and was replaced by Barry Ferguson who took charge of the team until the end of the season.

Ferguson recorded impressive wins over Celtic and Fenerbahce, to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but also suffered a string of disappointing results and ultimately failed to cut the gap at the top of the Premiership.

Rangers confirmed on Sunday that he, along with his coaching staff of Allan McGregor, Billy Dodds, and Neil McCann, had left the club.