Steven Gerrard and Rangers – what to learn from his spell at Ibrox?

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, while 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.

A switch to Saudi Arabia came 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 has the personality to handle such a high-profile post and he is the only Rangers boss to have lifted the league trophy since the great Walter Smith. That experience is hard to ignore.