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Steven Gerrard is at the center of discussion after Rangers parted ways with Russell Martin on Sunday, while the ex-coach will discuss a potential return with the club's leadership.

Those in charge at Ibrox have stated that a "thorough, thoughtful recruitment procedure" is now underway.

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

The 45-year-old coach has recently mentioned about “remaining goals” in coaching and disclosed he has begun approaching prospective members for his backroom team.

In a latest podcast discussion with Rio Ferdinand, appearing to be filmed prior to Martin's short tenure ended, Gerrard expressed he wanted “to be at a club that's set to challenge to win because I think that fits me better”.

He continued: “If the right call comes my way, the appropriate team, the correct opportunity, 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.”

Gerrard's Record at Rangers in Initial Period

Having acquired knowledge as a academy manager at Liverpool, Gerrard accepted his first managerial position in the mid-year of 2018.

During three full seasons at Ibrox, he won just one title – but it proved significant.

Following placements of nine and 13 points after their rivals in his initial pair of seasons, Gerrard guided Rangers to their maiden premiership championship in a decade, which coincidentally prevent their Glasgow rivals an historic tenth consecutive title.

And he achieved it impressively, with his team unbeaten throughout.

Rangers won all of their home games, scored 92 goals and conceded a mere 13.

The drawback was that it occurred against a backdrop of the pandemic and empty stadiums.

It remains Rangers' sole title success since the 2010-11 season.

How Did Gerrard's Old Firm Record Look?

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

In his debut season the Old Firm results were even, each side securing two domestic victories, with Rangers having last beaten Celtic in 2012.

A pair of defeats to Celtic came in the following shortened season, after which Rangers securing a victory in the eastern part of Glasgow for the first time since 2010.

From then on, Gerrard stayed unbeaten in Old Firm clashes, winning five more and drawing once.

Rangers progressed through four stages of preliminaries to enter the main phase of the European competition in Gerrard's debut season.

In the 2019-20 campaign, they advanced to the knockout rounds of the same competition, losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, with their journey ending at the identical round the next year.

What Led Gerrard Leave Rangers?

The Birmingham club came calling in November 2021, forking out £4.5m in compensation.

He left Rangers with a lead clear of Celtic at the top of the table – but their city rivals would claw that back to prevail by the same margin.

The lure of the Premier League is strong and it may have been viewed as the next logical step on a fairytale comeback to Liverpool at a time when his coaching reputation was at its peak.

“Steven and his coaching team have ensured that the club is clearly in a stronger position today than it was several seasons ago,” commented then Rangers football executive Ross Wilson.

“We have had a desire to move Rangers forward, to modernise our infrastructure and to make the club win again.”

What Was Gerrard's Record at Villa & Al-Ettifaq?

Gerrard failed to complete a year at Villa Park.

Inconsistent results yielded a mid-table finish at the end of the 2021-22 campaign before a three-goal defeat at Craven Cottage left them 17th in October 2022 when he was sacked.

Across 2022, he secured just eight of his 31 games, suffering defeat in 15.

He moved to Saudi Arabia in summer 2023 when he took over at Al-Ettifaq.

His most recent job lasted 18 months and he departed with the team placed 12th in the Saudi Pro League, only five points above the drop zone.

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

Those after Rangers exploits could cause certain pause for thought and the individual may have concerns over inheriting a underperforming squad, but Gerrard probably has the character to manage such a prominent post.

He is the sole Rangers boss to have lifted the championship since the legendary Walter Smith. That experience might well be hard to ignore for an under-pressure Rangers leadership.