McAvennie: Gerrard may let go player who's 'too big for Rangers'
Steven Gerrard may not want Jermain Defoe to join the Rangers coaching team this summer.
That's according to former Celtic striker, Frank McAvennie, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Defoe's future.
Speaking to Sky Sports last week, Steven Gerrard confirmed Defoe, 38, is ‘in talks’ over a new Ibrox deal with his contract set to expire this summer.
However, as revealed by Football Insider, Defoe would have to take a major pay cut to reflect his new role at Ibrox.
In June last year, Defoe told TalkSPORT that he was eyeing a move into coaching.
He said, "I can go on and do something in terms of coaching or managing."
McAvennie claims Gerrard may not want one of his former players on his staff as it could take away some of his power.
"Gerrard brought him in and he's been there for years. He's not taken the limelight off Stevie," McAvennie told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild.
"He's been there and done it all. The only thing is, the manager might think he's too big for the club.
"He might not want someone else with that stature on the staff. It might take away from the power he's got there, as someone who used to be part of the squad."
Defoe has seen his game time limited this season as Rangers are blessed with plenty of attacking talent.
Despite this, he has still managed to score six Scottish Premiership goals.