Steven Gerrard out of Rangers next manager race as Ibrox club forced to change tack

The former Ibrox boss - who led Rangers to their last Premiership title - had been in talks with the current hierarchy to take over from Russell Martin. It has emerged that those negotiations have come to an end after Gerrard decided to remove himself from the running.

The news will come as a bitter blow to many Rangers supporters, who had pinned their hopes on Gerrard returning to Ibrox and resurrecting the club’s fortunes after a disastrous four-month tenure under Martin, who left the club as statistically the worst manager in the club’s history with a win rate of just 23 per cent.

Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe of 49ers Enterprises have been leading the search for a new head coach since Martin was sacked last Sunday in the wake of a 1-1 draw with Falkirk. They spoke to Gerrard on more than one occasion in London over the past 72 hours, but those discussions have not proved fruitful enough for the 45-year-old to be appointed the next Rangers boss.

The clamour for Gerrard to take up the Ibrox hotseat had intensified over the coming days after he told Rio Ferdinand in a podcast - recorded prior to Martin’s departure - that he would make a return to football management should the right opportunity present itself.

“I’d love another go at some point," Gerrard said in the podcast. "I want to change a few things and improve a few things and come back fresh. With a few different people around myself.

What Gerrard said in his podcast

“I’d love another couple of challenges doing this. And that’s what I’m working on in the background at the moment. A few different ideas, a few different people around me.

“Now, I’m enjoying family time and doing a lot of things that I haven’t been able to do. Going to Grand Prix, doing exhibition games with ex-teammates and superstars, that type of stuff’s been great.

“But there’s a part of me that still feels that there’s a bit of unfinished business in terms of wanting to go in and face another couple of exciting challenges. But I want a certain type of challenge.

“If in an ideal world they come available, I’ll jump at them. If they don’t, I won’t go back in. I want to be at a team that’s going to compete to win because I think that suits me better.

“I think certain jobs and certain clubs would suit my style and the way I like to go about it. But I’ve also got time now where I’m not in a rush, where I know the right people that are out there to make me a stronger and a better coach. They’re the people I need to find.

“Because if I get the right match with them people around me, I know and I’ve proved I can be successful as a manager. And that’s what I’m working on in the background now.”

Ferdinand himself predicted that Gerrard may return to Govan - but it will not be on this occasion. The ex-Liverpool and England man is understood to have rounded off conversations in a cordial manner, indicating to Rangers chiefs that it is currently not the right time for him to return to Glasgow.

Who will be next Rangers manager?

Rangers will now look at alternative candidates as Cavenagh and Co strive to revive the Ibrox side’s ailing fortunes.

The embattled club currently sits eighth in the Premiership after seven rounds of fixtures. They have only won one match - a stoppage-time success over Livingston - and are 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine adrift of defending champions Celtic.

They are also struggling in the Europa League after losing both of their opening fixtures to Genk and Sturm Graz. They do have a Premier Sports Cup semi-final to look forward to, however, when they meet Celtic on November 2 at Hampden Park.

Rangers’ next competitive match is on Saturday, October 18 when they welcome Dundee United to Ibrox. Rangers Under-19 coach Steven Smith is currently overseeing first-team training on an interim basis along with B team coach Brian Gilmour, goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo and head of performance Rhys Owen.

Rangers have been speaking to other candidates throughout the week and are understood to have been impressed by former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl.

The 36-year-old German left Hillsborough back in July, with the Championship club lurching into turmoil under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri. Many staff have received their wages late at Wednesday over the past few months and Rohl did not want to continue amid the financial strife at the club.

Other names linked to the post include Dutch coach Mark van Bommel, who has been out of work since leaving Antwerp last season, but former Everton manager Sean Dyche was ruled out of the running earlier this week despite having worked with current Rangers sporting director Kevin Thelwell during their time together on Merseyside.

Hearts’ Derek McInnes remains a candidate for Rangers

Another name that has been linked with Rangers is current Hearts manager Derek McInnes, who has enjoyed a dream start to his tenure at Tynecastle. The Jam Tarts are top of the league, having won six of their opening matches, including victories over Rangers at Ibrox and most recently Hibs in the Edinburgh derby.

McInnes is understood to be committed to the cause at Hearts, who are in a good place with fresh investment from Brighton owner Tony Bloom, and the club’s hierarchy would not entertain any approach from Rangers for a manager who only joined the club in June from Kilmarnock.

The 54-year-old turned down a move to Rangers back in December 2017 when he was in charge of Aberdeen, while also rejecting overtures from Sunderland.

Time is of the essence for Rangers, who invested heavily in the summer by bringing in 13 new players, only for the appointment of Martin to fail spectacularly. Given the healthy lead both Hearts and Celtic have generated at this early stage of the season, club officials know they do not have much margin for error if they are to be competitive in the title race.