Steve Gerrard has revealed why he rejected the opportunity to return to Rangers as manager just a matter of weeks ago.
The Scottish side sacked Russell Martin on October 5 after a disastrous start to the season, and Gerrard, who managed the club between 2018 and 2021, was one of their first picks to step into the hotseat.
Speaking to TNT Sports, the Liverpool legend has now opened up on his talks with the club and revealed why he rejected the chance to return to Ibrox.
‘In terms of Rangers, very close,’ he said. ‘I had some really positive and interesting talks with the owners.
‘It felt a bit rushed to me because I had my family in Bahrain at the time, had a lot to think about in a short space of time, to give a decision. There were a few things I was uncertain about. If I was to take a challenge that big and that important it had to be perfect, and I had to be 100 per cent ready.
‘Unfortunately I wasn’t due to the timing, so I stepped aside. They’ve got a fantastic manager now and I wish them all the best. My heart was 100 per cent there because I have the connection with the club.’
Steven Gerrard has broken his silence on rejecting a return to Rangers due to his family still being based in Bahrain
Gerrard has been on grandad duty daughter, Lilly-Ella, welcomed her first child – a baby girl – in July
Rangers instead appointed former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has the task of improving the fortunes of a side who have won just three of their opening 10 league matches of the season.
Gerrard, who won the Premiership title for the Glasgow giants in 2021 before leaving for Aston Villa, held talks in London over replacing Martin at the start of the month.
However, with Daily Mail Sport having reported that he was eager to be given control over transfers should he go back to Rangers, it has emerged that Gerrard told chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chair Paraag Marathe that he wished to step away from the race.
Gerrard’s daughter, Lilly-Ella, welcomed her first child – a baby girl – in July. The influencer, 21, took to Instagram to share a black and white image of her boyfriend Lee Byrne, leaving the hospital whilst carrying their newborn in a car seat. She simply captioned the photo, ‘@leebyrne8 2 becomes 3’.
The eldest child of the former England footballer announced she was expecting her first child in January. Lilly has been in a relationship with Lee Byrne – the son of a jailed Irish gangster – since October 2022, and their romance made headlines when it first came to light.
It meant father Steven became a grandfather for the first time at just 45 years-old. The former midfielder has four children with wife Alex – daughters Lilly, Lexie, 19, Lourdes, 14, and a son named Lio, eight.
On Wednesday night, Gerrard posed alongside his granddaughter on social media, sharing the snap to his 11.6million Instagram followers. There was no caption.
Gerrard’s have been based in Bahrain following his ill-fated stint with Saudi outfit Al-Ettifaq and it is understood that was a factor when he spoke with Ibrox chiefs in the summer about the possibility of returning for a second stint as boss.
The former Liverpool captain said he was ‘very close’ to returning to Ibrox earlier this season
Gerrard is understood to have held talks over replacing Russell Martin in London, with discussions ending amicably
The two parties are understood to have ended talks amicably with the door remaining open to forging an alliance again somewhere in the future. Lilly, meanwhile, announced her pregnancy news in January, sharing a photo of her positive pregnancy test and telling her 222,000 Instagram followers: ‘Our little secret. The best news… mini us is on the way.’
Responding to his daughter’s post, Gerrard wrote: ‘We can’t wait. Congratulations and we love you.’
