Gerrard is the Euro star that Ibrox needed

NINETEEN games played. Thirteen wins. Six draws. No defeats. Steven Gerrard’s flawless record over three years of Europa League qualifiers has been one of the foundation stones of his tenure. Money has been banked. Confidence built. Belief grown.

Thursday night brings a last-16 first leg against Slavia Prague and a chance to break new ground with a push for the quarter-finals. Regardless of that outcome, Gerrard will surely always reflect fondly on his time in the Europa League.

Next season, of course, a different competition beckons.

Confirmation of Rangers’ first title in a decade means they will enter the Champions League at the third qualifying round.

The recent victories over Royal Antwerp were significant boosts to their chances of being seeded in that round.

Retaining that status for the play-offs — where the champions of Austria or Turkey could lie in wait — is a much bigger ask.

Clearing the two hurdles before the group stage won’t be easy. But Gerrard’s European track record can only heighten optimism of Rangers claiming a huge financial boost — even with UEFA’s recent cut to prize money.

It is income that could further tip Glasgow’s balance of power in their favour, given the tougher qualification route now facing Celtic in the non-champions path.

Former Rangers chairman Dave King believes Gerrard is simply a natural fit for this kind of challenge.

A Champions League winner in his Liverpool playing days (right), the 40-year-old’s comfort in Europe was always something King viewed as vital.

‘If I go back to my initial discussion with Steven, we were talking about the possibility of him coming to the club and trying to make sure it matched both of our ambitions — his personally and the club’s,’ said King, reflecting on Gerrard’s appointment in 2018.

‘It was very, very clear, first of all, that he knew he needed time. We spoke about a minimum of four transfer windows to get the players.

‘But also he understood that he was going to add to his experience. Experience of Scottish football, of going away to St Johnstone or Livingston on a wet, windy night on a plastic pitch.

‘To me, it’s not accidental that Steven, to a certain extent, achieved more in Europe — where he understood the environment and was more comfortable with it — than he initially did in Scotland where he had to adjust and figure out some of the aspects.

‘He already had that background in Europe. Where we are at the moment with Steven is that he has learned a lot about Scottish football. He is clearly a very quick learner. He is committed, he is a leader.

‘I would be very surprised if Steven didn’t continue to kick on in Scottish football, become dominant in Scotland and use the additional expertise to improve the team in the Champions League.

‘But, of course, the Champions League is different in the sense that you have to look at the financial resources. At least in the Europa League, you might be boxing against teams above your weight, but they are not the Barcelonas, Real Madrids and Man Uniteds.

‘It will be very interesting for the club how Steven uses his experience, as he has done in Scotland, to bridge the gap money might give to some other clubs.’

So what might be viewed as success for Rangers in the Champions League? Much can happen in the next few months, but King has his own idea.

‘If you ask me at the moment, if we went into the Champions League and finished third (in a group),’ he said. ‘No matter what the most optimistic outlook on the group stages is, we will be unseeded.

‘At this stage, if we could go into that and finish third and continue in the Europa League afterwards, I think that would be an extremely successful first campaign back in the Champions League.’

King, who stepped down as chairman 12 months ago, was always clear about consistent European football being the only way for Rangers to eventually balance the books.

Player trading will also play a part. Criticising Celtic for not building from a position of strength, he doesn’t expect Rangers to make the same mistake. He said: ‘Because we have won the league so emphatically, I think we now have a playing squad that has an asset value.

‘Previously, when I was looking at bringing in a new manager who might want to bring in a new style, we didn’t have any assets we could extract value from.

‘We were always on the wrong end of the cash flow when we were trading in the market place. So I feel from the club’s point of view, that we are strong enough financially and have enough value in the asset base that Steven can continue to improve his squad while also selling players — but, hopefully, in a way that the net value of the squad is improved.

‘Celtic for a long time have been in a position of comfort where they didn’t feel the need to invest in their squad. But I felt that was detrimental to Scottish football. We saw it where Celtic were winning trophy after trophy in Scotland but then competing very poorly in Europe.

‘I’d like to think Rangers will now kick on and this will be the beginning of a further level of improvement where we’ll do better in Europe. ‘I’m hoping Celtic will also kick on. I’d like to see Celtic reinvest in the interests of Scottish football because we really need to see that co-efficient get up. We need a situation where Rangers and Celtic start to do better.’

He is clearly a very quick learner. He’s committed, a leader