Gers increasingly confident Gerrard will be new boss

Rangers are hoping to push through a deal for Steven Gerrard to become their next manager in the coming days.

Ibrox sources were increasingly confident of finalising a deal after the former Liverpool captain confirmed on Tuesday that he had held “positive” initial talks with the Glasgow club and would revisit them on Thursday.

Gerrard’s former team-mate Danny Murphy had earlier reported that the 37-year-old was looking for firm assurances about the finances available to strengthen the team.

Graeme Murty lost his job on Tuesday, three days before his short-term contract was due to end, after his team lost nine goals in two games against Celtic in April.

Jimmy Nicholl and Jonatan Johansson have been handed the reins for the final three matches of the Ladbrokes Premiership season as Rangers aim to leapfrog Aberdeen and secure second place.

They are level on points with Hibernian with only the top three guaranteed European football next season.

Gerrard’s only coaching experience is with Liverpool Under18s but McLeish is an example of someone who made an impact at an even earlier age.

The former Aberdeen defender led Motherwell to second place in the league in his first campaign as a player-manager in 1994-95. The club then slid down the table as McLeish discovered how crucial it was to recruit well.

Gerrard is said to be looking for cast-iron guarantees over the funds available, but Rangers have received loans totalling about £20 million in recent seasons and a planned share issue is yet to materialise.

Previous Gers managerial target Derek McInnes would welcome the arrival of Gerrard as a “box-office” boost for Scottish football.

Former Rangers midfielder McInnes turned down an offer to return to Ibrox in December in order to stay at Aberdeen but he thinks the former Liverpool captain’s entry into Scottish football would be good for everyone.

The Dons boss said: “I think you’re better to comment on these things once they have happened but the prospect of a global name like Steven Gerrard coming into the Scottish game can only be seen as a good thing.

“I would prefer it if he was a player because what a player he was, a fantastic leader of men for Liverpool and England. Obviously he has taken his first steps into coaching and maybe the management side of it.

“But I think there is a lot of good and positivity about Scottish football at the minute.

“There is a lot of good managers and a lot of high-profile managers, managers who have maybe managed at a higher level, and certainly Steven, if he was to come into it, on the back of his playing career, would certainly be a boxoffice name.

“And that can only help the Scottish game, I’m sure.”

Picture: PA. Steven Gerrard.