Glasgow | Gerrard rejects Rangers

More bad news for Rangers and their fans

Steven Gerrard has rejected the opportunity to return to Rangers for a second spell as manager.

Author | Mark Lee

The former Liverpool and England captain held talks with the Scottish Premiership side earlier this week following the dismissal of Russell Martin as head coach on Sunday.

Initial discussions were said to be positive, and while the 45-year-old remains open to the idea of managing Rangers again in the future, both parties have agreed that now is not the right time.

Gerrard previously led the club between 2018 and 2021, guiding them to the Scottish title in the 2020-21 season.

After difficult spells in charge of Aston Villa and the Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, he has recently signalled a desire to return to management but withdrew from Rangers’ interview process on Saturday.

The search for Martin’s successor now continues, leaving the club’s new leadership team under pressure to make a swift appointment. Rangers sit eighth in the Premiership table, having won just once in their opening seven matches, with Dundee United due at Ibrox next Saturday.

Another low point in a season of low points at Ibrox

Following the summer takeover by a US-based consortium led by the new chairman, Andrew Cavanagh, Rangers appointed Russell Martin on a three-year deal, believing he was the man to lead the club forward.

The former Rangers and Scotland defender had guided Southampton back to the Premier League but was dismissed after 13 defeats in their first 16 matches of the following season.

Martin’s appointment at Ibrox was met with scepticism from supporters and he struggled to win them over during a troubled 123-day tenure. His final match, a 1-1 draw away at Falkirk before the international break, ended with him needing a police escort from the ground after angry fans tried to block the team bus from leaving.

Rangers did not register a league victory until late September and were heavily beaten 9-1 on aggregate by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs.

By the time of his departure, the club were 11 points adrift of leaders Hearts and nine behind Celtic, with just five wins in all competitions.

Hearts v Rangers | September 2025

The search for his successor quickly turned to Steven Gerrard, who had been considered by the new American owners in the summer. However, a number of complications led to him withdrawing from contention.

In a podcast recorded before Martin’s dismissal but released on Wednesday, Gerrard told his former England team-mate Rio Ferdinand that he was eager to return to management.

He added that he wanted “to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better”.

It has now become clear that team will not be Rangers.