Steven Gerrard Holds 'Positive' Talks with Rangers over Manager Position

Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard has said he is interested in becoming the new Rangers manager having held talks with the club. 

Rumours have gathered pace in recent weeks that the 37-year-old is set to take the position with the Scottish club, and the former midfielder was asked about the speculation on Tuesday when he was a pundit for BT Sport.

"There's truth in the rumours," he said, per Ian Herbert of the Daily Mail. "I've held initial talks with Rangers and the plan is to pick them up in a couple of days."

Gerrard added the discussions had been "positive," and when asked directly if he was likely to become the boss of the Glasgow giants he said "we'll see."

According to Herbert, there remain two issues in the way of Gerrard making the switch from the Liverpool academy to Ibrox.

"One is the size of transfer budget he will get to undertake a rebuild that is clearly needed," he wrote. The other is that Gerrard is said to want the final say on incoming players, despite working under director of football Mark Allen.

As noted by football writer Jonathan Fadugba, there have been some indications in recent weeks that Gerrard is thinking more like a manager:

Following their 5-0 loss in the Old Firm game on Sunday, it was confirmed on Tuesday that Graeme Murty had been sacked as Rangers manager, per BBC Sport.

Murty took the post in October, replacing Pedro Caixinha after his tough start to the campaign. Despite investing heavily in the summer, Rangers were knocked out of UEFA Europa League qualifying by Luxembourg's Progres Niederkorn.

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After initially steadying the ship, Murty saw his side lose further ground on a rampant Celtic outfit. BBC Sport's Tom English believes there are bigger issues at the club than the manager:

Should Gerrard take on the position these issues will be difficult to resolve. While Rangers are third in the Scottish Premier League, the chasm between them and their bitter Glasgow rivals is enormous at this point.

Rory Smith of the New York Times believes there is still potential for a new manager to do well, though:

Rangers require a coach to implement an identity over a long timeframe. Given his reputation and experience in the game, it is an area Gerrard can assist in.

The Liverpool icon is heralded on Merseyside, having helped the Reds to the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League (then known as the UEFA Cup) and two FA Cups during his playing days. However, this will be his first step into senior management, and at a club such as Rangers there will be an expectation to hit the ground running.