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Steven Gerrard has been at the center of conversation since Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on the weekend, while the ex-coach is set to talk about a possible return with the club's leadership.

Those in charge at Rangers have stated that a "comprehensive, considered recruitment process" is now in progress.

Other candidates will be reviewed, but if the former Liverpool and England captain is open to a second stint at Ibrox, is the job essentially his?

The mid-forties coach has recently spoken about “unfinished business” in coaching and revealed he has started approaching potential members for his backroom team.

In a recent audio discussion with the former defender, which seemed to be filmed before Martin's short tenure ended, Gerrard stated he desired “to be at a team that's going to compete to win because I believe that fits me more”.

He added: “If the suitable offer arrives, the appropriate team, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, which I plan to have at some point, I'll take that challenge on because it's part of my nature.”

Performance at Rangers in Initial Period

Having acquired knowledge as a youth development coach at Liverpool, Gerrard took on his first managerial role in the mid-year of 2018.

During three complete seasons at Rangers, he won just one trophy – but it was a big one.

Following placements of nine and 13 points after their rivals in his initial pair of campaigns, Gerrard guided Rangers to their first top-flight championship in a ten years, which just happened to deny their Old Firm rivals an historic 10-in-a-row win.

And he did it impressively, with his team undefeated throughout.

Rangers won all of their domestic games, netted 92 goals and allowed a mere 13.

The drawback was that it came amid of Covid and fanless grounds.

It continues to be Rangers' only title success since 2010-11.

How Did Gerrard's Derby Record Look?

In sharp difference to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, going 12 games unbeaten until his first visit to Celtic Park.

In his debut campaign the Old Firm honours were shared, each side earning two domestic victories, with Rangers having previously defeated Celtic in 2012.

Two losses to Celtic occurred in the next shortened season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the east end of Glasgow for the initial occasion since 2010.

After that, Gerrard stayed undefeated in Old Firm clashes, claiming five additional and tying once.

Rangers progressed through four stages of preliminaries to reach the group stage of the European competition in Gerrard's debut season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they progressed to the knockout rounds of the same tournament, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their journey ending at the same stage the following season.

What Led Gerrard Depart Rangers?

The Birmingham club came calling in November 2021, paying £4.5m in fees.

He left Rangers four points ahead of Celtic at the summit of the table – but their local opponents would claw that back to win by the identical gap.

The lure of the Premier League is strong and it may have been viewed as the natural progression on a fairytale return to Liverpool at a point when his coaching reputation was at its peak.

“Steven and his coaching team have made sure that the team is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said then Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson.

“We have had a desire to advance the club, to modernise our infrastructure and to return the team to winning ways.”

What Was Gerrard's Record at Aston Villa and in Saudi Arabia?

Gerrard did not last a year at Aston Villa.

Up and down performances yielded a mid-table finish at the end of season 2021-22 before a 3-0 loss at Craven Cottage placed them in 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.

Across 2022, he secured just eight of his 31 games, losing 15.

He transferred to the Middle East in summer 2023 when he assumed control at the Saudi club.

His latest job lasted a year and a half and he moved on with the team sitting in 12th in the Saudi league, only five points clear of the relegation zone.

“Overall, I have learned a lot, and it's been a positive journey for me and for my loved ones,” he remarked in late January. “But football is unpredictable, and at times events don't unfold the way we hope.”

Those after Rangers exploits may give certain pause for thought and the man himself may have doubts over taking over a struggling squad, but Gerrard probably has the personality to manage such a prominent position.

He is the sole Rangers boss to have lifted the league trophy since the legendary Walter Smith. That achievement might well be hard to ignore for an under-pressure Ibrox board.