Steven Gerrard stance on Rangers return with boss held in ‘high regard’ by club as Clement successor search kickstarts

Out of work Steven Gerrard has emerged as the early favourite to replace Philippe Clement as he heads for the exit door.

And the club may already know his stance on the hot seat as he looks to get his career back on track. Record Sport understands that the Belgian boss will be shown the door in the midst of a dismal campaign with Rangers on the road to a season without silverware – and the lacklustre defeat to St Mirren at Ibrox proving to be the final straw.

Liverpool icon Gerrard has endured a tough management career since leaving Ibrox after being shown the door by Aston Villa before taking a gamble in the Saudi Pro League. However, his spell at Al-Ettifaq came to an abrupt end earlier this year with the club facing a relegation scrap.

After being shown the door by Ettifaq, the title-winning Rangers boss has been floated as a potential successor to Clement. And back in 2022, Gerrard confided in Ibrox icon Graeme Souness that he would be open to a return further down the line: “I saw Steven a couple of weeks ago in Portugal. He seemed in fine form and I said to him: ‘Are you wanting to go back?’ and he said give it a bit of time and I’ll go back if something comes along that is interesting to him, back into the game.”

He also noted that Gerrard was nervous about the fan response to a return – after leaving midway through the season for his shot at the Premier League with Villa. Souness added: “Would the supporters be happy with him going back? I’m not sure. They think he left them at a difficult time, I’m not sure.”

But speaking last month, Gers hero McCoist declared that Gerrard still had admirers in Glasgow. He said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if Steven Gerrard came back to Ibrox.

“He’s obviously held in really high regard by the supporters because of the league title he won, and his next job is going to be vitally important for him. Things haven’t gone according to plan for him after he left Rangers. A little bit like Frank Lampard going to Coventry – his next appointment was really important to him as well.”