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

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

Other candidates will be reviewed, however if ex Liverpool and England captain is willing to a second stint at Ibrox, is the job essentially his?

The 45-year-old coach lately spoken about “remaining goals” in management and disclosed he has started approaching potential staff for his backroom team.

In a latest podcast interview with the former defender, which seemed to be recorded before Martin's short reign ended, Gerrard stated he wanted “to be at a team that's set to compete to win because I think that fits me better”.

He continued: “If the suitable offer comes my way, the appropriate team, the right challenge, and I've got my people set, which I will have at a future date, I'll take that challenge on because it's in me.”

Performance at Rangers in Initial Period

Having acquired experience as a youth development manager at Anfield, Gerrard took on his first managerial position in the mid-year of 2018.

During three complete campaigns at Ibrox, he won only a single trophy – however it proved significant.

Following placements of nine and 13 points after their rivals in his initial pair of campaigns, Gerrard guided Rangers to their first premiership title in a decade, which just happened to deny their Old Firm rivals an unprecedented 10-in-a-row win.

And he achieved it in style, with his team unbeaten in the process.

Rangers won all of their domestic games, scored 92 goals and conceded a only 13.

The drawback was that it occurred against a backdrop of Covid and fanless grounds.

It continues to be Rangers' only league triumph since 2010-11.

How Did Gerrard's Derby Record Perform?

In stark contrast to Martin's unhappy experience, Gerrard hit the ground running at Rangers, remaining 12 games without defeat until his first visit to Celtic Park.

In his first campaign the derby honours were shared, each side earning two home victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.

A pair of defeats to Celtic came in the next truncated season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the east end of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.

From then on, Gerrard stayed unbeaten in derbies, claiming five additional and drawing once.

Rangers came through four rounds of preliminaries to reach the main phase of the Europa League in Gerrard's first season.

In 2019-20, they advanced to the elimination stage of the identical tournament, losing out to the German side in the round of 16, with their journey concluding at the identical round the next year.

Why Did Gerrard Leave Rangers?

Aston Villa came calling in late 2021, paying £4.5m in compensation.

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

The lure of the English top flight is powerful and it may have been viewed as the next logical step on a dream comeback to Anfield at a point when his coaching reputation was high.

“Steven and his backroom staff have ensured that the club is clearly in a better place today than it was three-and-a-half years ago,” said at the time Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.

“We have shared a desire to advance the club, to modernise our facilities and to make the club win again.”

How Did Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?

Gerrard did not last a full season at Villa Park.

Up and down results yielded a 14th-place position at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a 3-0 loss at Fulham placed them in 17th in autumn 2022 when he was dismissed.

During 2022, he won only eight of his 31 games, losing 15.

He moved to the Middle East in summer 2023 when he assumed control at Al-Ettifaq.

His most recent job continued for a year and a half and he departed with the club placed 12th in the Saudi league, just five points above the drop zone.

“Overall, I have learned a lot, and it's been a positive experience personally and for my family,” he said in the end of January. “But soccer is uncertain, and at times things don't go the way we want.”

These after Rangers exploits could cause some pause for thought and the individual might harbor concerns over inheriting a underperforming team, but Gerrard probably has the personality to handle such a high-profile post.

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