Gerrard may have been followed to Dubai by his players!
Steven Gerrard insists he’s desperate to take Rangers to the group stages of the Europa League as the countdown to his first official game begins.
He officially started his new job at Ibrox on Friday, but has spent the first couple of days in his new job working at the Toulon Tournament in France.
But the Liverpool legend has revealed that he’s already met with Rangers players because they were staying in the same hotel as him on holiday in Dubai.
The Liverpool icon is based in Marseille and has watched three games, including England’s win over Qatar in Fos-Sur-Mer on Friday night.
He has also been combining the
completion of his UEFA Pro Licence through the English FA with scouting for new talent at the prestigious French youth tournament.
Gerrard flew back to the UK last night, and is due back in Glasgow just before he takes his team to Spain for a pre-season training camp later this month.
They will find out their opponents for the Europa League first round qualifiers when the draw is made on June 19, with the first leg of that tie scheduled for July 12.
Gerrard has made it clear he will demand Rangers hit the ground running in his first competitive match, even if he hasn’t assembled his best squad by then.
The Light Blues manager said: “Every game for Rangers is a priority.
“Of course, it’s going to be very difficult to have everything done and dusted by that first game because clubs shut down for a certain amount of time.
“It can be difficult to get deals over the line in a short space of time.
“But in terms of that first Europa League game, I don’t prioritise any game.
“The fact of the matter is, we want to be in the group stages of the Europa League in September.
“So whatever players are available to me at that time will be expected to get results. “And I’ll be expected to get results.” Although Gerrard hasn’t yet officially met his new squad, he revealed he’s already made progress on that front.
He stressed: “I’m ahead of the game in terms of speaking to certain individuals, and I’ll be speaking to more as we go along.
“The idea is to try and speak to the majority of them before we get back.
“But I also have to respect that some are on family holidays or international duty.
“There’s plenty of time from now until the first game of the season to have meetings and chats. “I’m definitely ahead of the game. “I’m not sure whether some of the players followed me to Dubai – but a few were staying in the same hotel as me!
“So that gave me a chance to speak to them.”
Gerrard’s arrival in Glasgow has generated enormous interest around the world. But he accepts the spotlight will firmly be trained on him even more now.
He admitted: “I’ve not been surprised by the level of interest or intensity.
“I knew it before I was announced. I knew all about Rangers from the outside. I knew the size of the club, I knew the opportunity and size of the task.
“I’m surprised how many Rangers fans I’ve bumped into so far. I was in Dubai for nine or 10 days on a family break.
“The support and welcome I’ve had has been superb.”