‘Agreement was close’ - Insider reveals why Steven Gerrard rejected the chance to return to Rangers

Rangers remain on the hunt for a new manager after prime candidate Steven Gerrard rejected the chance to make an emotional return to Ibrox. Gerrard gained legendary status at Govan during his first stint as manager between 2018 and 2021, and is best known for his final full season in charge of the Light Blues when he led them to a league title for the first time in a decade whilst also finishing the campaign unbeaten - becoming just the fourth manager in the history of Scottish football to achieve the feat, and the first at Ibrox since 1899 back when it was just an 18-game season. He’s not quite hit the heights since leaving Rangers at either Aston Villa or Al-Ettifaq but was identified by the board as a top candidate for the job after a six-month hiatus from management. The bookmakers almost instantly made him the favourite for the post once Russell Martin was dismissed, and a large section of the Rangers fanbase seemed prepared to welcome their former gaffer with open arms. Reports even suggested that Gary McAllister and Jermaine Defoe were both ready to return as part of his coaching team, when suddenly in a shock turn of events, Gerrard turned down the offer to return to Rangers. But why did the former Liverpool skipper turn down the managers job at Rangers, and whose the frontrunner for the post at this moment in time? Here’s the latest. According to talkSPORT, Steven Gerrard snubbed the opportunity to return to Rangers as he didn’t feel the timing was right. The outlet’s reporter Ben Jacob said: “It is a bit of a surprise because Gerrard flew into London for talks and he was approached over the summer as well. In both instances, he thought long and hard and agreement was quite close. “Then from Gerrard's perspective, the timing wasn't right. Some will look at that and say, if the timing wasn't right over the summer and if the timing wasn't right now, then why fly in and hold the talks? But that's part and parcel. Sometimes with these kinds of jobs, you have to get face-to-face and understand the sporting project. “It's also understood that Gerrard had some reservations working under the current Rangers sporting structure, which is led at the moment by Kevin Thelwell. And also the fact that you have to come into this Rangers job with high pressure to turn things around midseason. It's not always easy. “So, Rangers are back to square one. I think it's caught some within Rangers' senior hierarchy by surprise that Gerrard kind of slept on it after talks towards the end of last week and then decided that it wasn't right for him. Rangers were all in on Gerrard. So now they're back again to the drawing board.” Rangers are currently experiencing one of their worst ever starts to a league campaign, and the gap between themselves and title hopefuls Celtic and Hearts seems to be increasing with each passing week.They’ve had a full international break to try and find the right man after parting ways with Russell Martin but are still yet to decide on a successor. Danny Rohl, formerly of Sheffield Wednesday, who led the Owls to a great escape and a top half finish within less than two years under a difficult ownership situation, is admired by some sections of the Ibrox board but others are thought to have reservations on his experience and track record of winning silverware. Kevin Muscat, who has thrived in Australia, Japan and most recently China as a manager, is also rated highly by the board in a decision which could see the Light Blues go down a similar route to Celtic when they first brought in Ange Postecoglou. Other names mentioned include Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Derek McInnes and Barry Ferguson while some bookmakers haven’t completely ruled out the prospect of Gerrard’s return despite recent developments. Read More: Leading Rangers manager candidate backed by former boss as Celtic ace could link up with ex Chelsea gaffer