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The former Liverpool captain has been in the spotlight of conversation after Rangers dismissed Russell Martin on the weekend, and the former manager is set to discuss a possible return with the team's owners.

Those in charge at Ibrox have stated that a "thorough, thoughtful recruitment process" is currently in progress.

Other candidates are set to be reviewed, but if the former Anfield and Three Lions skipper is willing to a return spell at Ibrox, could the position as good as his?

The mid-forties manager has recently spoken about “unfinished business” in coaching and revealed he has started contacting potential members for his backroom team.

In a latest audio interview with the former defender, which seemed to be filmed before Martin's brief reign ended, Gerrard expressed he desired “to be at a club that's set to challenge to win because I believe that suits me more”.

He continued: “If the suitable offer arrives, the right club, the right challenge, and I've assembled my staff, which I plan to have at a future date, I'll take that challenge on because it's in me.”

Performance at Rangers in His First Stint

After gaining experience as a academy manager at Liverpool, Gerrard accepted his first managerial position in the summer of 2018.

During three full campaigns at Rangers, he won only a single title – but it was a big one.

After finishing nine and 13 points behind Celtic in his first two seasons, Gerrard led Rangers to their first top-flight championship in a decade, which coincidentally prevent their Glasgow rivals an historic 10-in-a-row win.

And he did it impressively, with his team undefeated throughout.

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

The drawback was that it came against a backdrop of Covid and fanless grounds.

It remains Rangers' only title success since the 2010-11 season.

How Did Gerrard's Derby Record Perform?

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, remaining 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Celtic Park.

In his debut campaign the derby results were even, each side securing two domestic wins, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.

A pair of defeats to Celtic came in the following truncated season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the east end of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.

From then on, Gerrard stayed unbeaten in derbies, winning five more and drawing once.

Rangers came through four stages of preliminaries to reach the group stage of the European competition in Gerrard's first season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they progressed to the elimination stage of the same tournament, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, with their journey concluding at the same stage the next year.

Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?

Aston Villa came calling in late 2021, forking out £4.5m in compensation.

He departed Rangers four points ahead of Celtic at the summit of the table – but their local opponents would recover to win by the identical gap.

The lure of the Premier League is strong and it could have been seen as the natural progression on a dream comeback to Liverpool at a point when his coaching reputation was high.

“Steven and his coaching team have made sure that the team is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.

“We have had a goal to move Rangers forward, 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.

Inconsistent results yielded a mid-table finish at the end of season 2021-22 before a three-goal loss at Fulham left them in 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.

Across 2022, he secured only eight of his 31 games, losing 15.

He moved to Saudi Arabia in summer 2023 when he took over at the Saudi club.

His most recent role continued for a year and a half and he moved on with the club sitting 12th in the Saudi league, only five points clear of the drop zone.

“In summary, I have gained valuable experience, and it's been a positive experience personally and for my family,” he remarked in the end of January. “But soccer is uncertain, and at times events don't unfold the way we hope.”

Those after Rangers exploits may give some pause for thought and the individual might harbor doubts over taking over a struggling squad, but Gerrard probably has the character to handle such a high-profile position.

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