Steven Gerrard ‘open to Rangers return’ after Philippe Clement sacked
Steven Gerrard would be open to returning to Rangers to replace Philippe Clement after he was sacked from his role at Ibrox on 23 February.
That is according to former Man United chief scout and Sir Alex Ferguson number two Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the manager has maintained strong connections at Ibrox.
Gerrard is currently out of work after leaving Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq by mutual consent at the end of January, and would be available with no compensation fee.
His previous success at Rangers, having led them to their most recent SPFL title in 2021 without losing a single league game as they picked up 102 points over 38 games.
That season ensured he is still held in high esteem by the supporters at Ibrox, and he would be expected to have them on his side immediately should he make a return.
Gaining the support of the fans was something the previous manager struggled to do, as Rangers fans called for Clement to be sacked almost non-stop during his tenure.
Steven Gerrard to agree Rangers return on one condition
Clement’s struggles have seen Rangers fall 13 points behind Celtic in the league, while they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queens Park at Ibrox earlier this month.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience working with elite managers including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ron Atkinson at Man United, insisted that Gerrard will have to decide whether he feels he can get the best out of the current squad.
“Steven Gerrard would be open to a return to Rangers,” he told Football Insider.
“He’s kept some very strong connections there and is still well-liked.
“I think he’s got to be careful that he doesn’t tarnish his reputation there because they were frustrated when he left for Aston Villa in the first place.
“Going over to Saudi hasn’t exactly done wonders for him either.
“Maybe he needs to be at a club where he has their full backing and understanding – I don’t know.
“If he feels he can be a success up there, then I think it’s a good opportunity for him.
“He’ll get the crowd on his side straight away, which always makes a difference when you’re at Rangers.
“The crowd opinion and support is as important as pretty much anything else.
“So he’ll get them on his side from day one, and if he feels he can work with the players they’ve got, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see him return.”
Philippe Clement replacements lined up at Ibrox
Amid continually growing pressure on Clement at Rangers, a number of managers had been linked with possibly taking over prior to his eventual dismissal.
Football Insider revealed in January that former Leicester boss Steve Cooper was a frontrunner for the Rangers job if they decided to part ways with their manager.
Derek McInnes, Kevin Muscat and Russell Martin were also linked with the potential vacancy, although the latter is said to prefer to remain in England.
More recently, former Burnley goalkeeper had backed Sean Dyche as the perfect candidate to take over from Clement at Ibrox after what he did at Everton.
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