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The former Liverpool captain is in the spotlight of conversation after Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on the weekend, and the ex-coach is set to discuss a potential return with the club's leadership.

The decision-makers at Ibrox announced that a "thorough, thoughtful hiring process" is now underway.

Other candidates will be reviewed, but if the former Liverpool and England skipper is open to a return spell at Ibrox, is the job essentially his?

The mid-forties coach lately mentioned about “remaining goals” in management and disclosed he has started contacting prospective members for his backroom team.

In a recent audio interview with Rio Ferdinand, which seemed to be recorded prior to Martin's brief tenure concluded, Gerrard expressed he wanted “to be at a club that's set to challenge to win because I believe that fits me more”.

He added: “If the right call comes my way, the right club, the correct opportunity, and I've assembled my staff, which I will have at some point, I'll accept that role because it's in me.”

Performance at Rangers in His First Stint

After gaining knowledge as a youth development coach at Anfield, Gerrard took on his maiden coaching position in the summer of 2018.

During three complete campaigns at Rangers, he won only a single title – but it proved significant.

Following placements of 13 and nine points after their rivals in his initial pair of seasons, Gerrard guided Rangers to their maiden premiership championship in a ten years, which coincidentally prevent their Glasgow rivals an historic 10-in-a-row win.

And he did it in style, with his team unbeaten in the process.

Rangers triumphed in all of their domestic games, netted 92 goals and allowed a only 13.

The drawback was that it occurred against a backdrop of the pandemic and fanless grounds.

It continues to be Rangers' sole title success since 2010-11.

How Did Gerrard's Old Firm Record Look?

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard started strongly at Rangers, remaining 12 games unbeaten until his initial trip to Parkhead.

In his debut campaign the derby results were shared, each side earning two domestic victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.

Two losses to Celtic occurred in the next shortened season, followed by Rangers winning in the eastern part of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.

From then on, Gerrard remained undefeated in Old Firm clashes, winning five more and tying once.

Rangers progressed through four stages of preliminaries to reach the main phase of the European competition in Gerrard's debut season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they advanced to the elimination stage of the identical tournament, being eliminated to the German side in the round of 16, with their run ending at the same stage the following season.

Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?

Aston Villa made an approach in late 2021, forking out £4.5m in compensation.

He departed Rangers with a lead clear of Celtic at the top of the standings – however their city rivals would recover to win by the identical gap.

The attraction of the Premier League is powerful and it may have been viewed as the natural progression on a fairytale comeback to Liverpool at a point when his managerial stock was high.

“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the club is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said at the time Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.

“We have shared a desire to advance the club, to modernise our facilities and to return the team to winning ways.”

How Did Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?

Gerrard failed to complete a year at Aston Villa.

Up and down performances yielded a 14th-place finish at the end of season 2021-22 before a 3-0 defeat at Fulham left them in 17th in October 2022 when he was sacked.

Across 2022, he won just eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.

He moved to Saudi Arabia in July 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq.

His most recent role continued for 18 months and he moved on with the club sitting 12th in the Saudi Pro League, only five points above the drop zone.

“Overall, I have gained valuable experience, and it's been a beneficial experience for me and for my loved ones,” he said in late January. “But soccer is uncertain, and at times things don't go the way we want.”

Those after Rangers experiences could cause some hesitation and the man himself may have doubts over inheriting a underperforming squad, but Gerrard likely has the character to manage such a high-profile post.

He is the sole Rangers manager to have won the league trophy since the legendary Walter Smith. That experience could be difficult to overlook for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.