Steven Gerrard has dominated the conversation since Rangers sacked Russell Martin on Sunday and the former head coach will talk to the club's owners about a possible return. Those running the show at Ibrox say a "rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process" is under way. Others will be considered, but if the former Liverpool and England captain is open to a second stint at Ibrox, is the job as good as his? The 45-year-old has spoken recently of "unfinished business" in management and revealed he has started sounding out candidates for his backroom staff.

In Tuesday's podcast interview with Rio Ferdinand, which appeared to be recorded before Martin's short reign ended, Gerrard said he wanted "to be at a team that's going to compete to win because I think that suits me better". He added: "If the right call comes my way, the right club, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, which I will have at some point, I'll take that challenge on because it's in me." Having cut his teeth as a youth development coach at Anfield, Gerrard took on his first managerial post in the summer of 2018.

Over three full seasons at Ibrox, he won just one trophy - but it was a big one. After finishing nine and 13 points behind Celtic in his first two campaigns, Gerrard steered Rangers to their first top-flight title in a decade, which just happened to deny their Old Firm rivals an unprecedented 10-in-a-row. And he did it in style, with his team unbeaten in the process. Rangers won all of their home games, scored 92 goals and conceded a mere 13. The downside was that it came against a backdrop of Covid and empty stadiums. It remains Rangers' only title success since 2010-11.

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, going 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Celtic Park. In his debut campaign the derby honours were shared, each side earning two home victories, Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012. Two losses to Celtic came in the next truncated season, followed by Rangers winning in the east end of Glasgow for the first time since 2010. From then on, Gerrard remained unbeaten in derbies, winning five more and drawing once.

Rangers came through four rounds of qualifying to reach the group stage of the Europa League in Gerrard's debut season. In 2019-20, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the same competition, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their journey ending at the same stage the next year. Aston Villa came calling in November 2021, forking out £4.5m in compensation. He left Rangers four points clear of Celtic at the top of the table - but their city rivals would claw that back to prevail by the same margin.

The lure of the Premier League is strong and it may have been seen as the next logical step on a fairytale return to Liverpool at a point when his managerial stock was high. "Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the club is undoubtedly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago," said then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson. "We have shared a desire to move Rangers forward, to modernise our infrastructure and to make the club win again."

Gerrard did not last a year at Villa Park. Up and down results yielded a 14th-place finish at the end of season 2021-22 before a 3-0 loss at Fulham left them 17th in October 2022 when he was dismissed. Across 2022, he won just eight of his 31 games, losing 15. He moved to Saudi Arabia in July 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq. His most recent job lasted 18 months and he moved on with the club sitting 12th in the Saudi Pro League, just five points above the relegation zone.

"Overall, I have learned a lot, and it's been a positive experience personally and for my family," he said in late January. "But football is unpredictable, and sometimes things don't go the way we want." Those post-Ibrox exploits may give some pause for thought and the man himself may have doubts over inheriting a struggling squad, but Gerrard likely has the personality to handle such a high-profile post. He is the only Rangers boss to have lifted the league trophy since the great Walter Smith. That experience might well be hard to ignore for an under-pressure Ibrox board.