Steven Gerrard has made clear he is firmly in Derek McInnes's corner — and that his idea of a best-case scenario is one where Rangers never need to look back in his direction at all.

Speaking via Open Goal (as reported by The Herald), the former Ibrox manager said he has nothing but respect for McInnes and would welcome the current Rangers boss being so successful that any conversation about Gerrard returning simply never gets off the ground. It is about as warm a public endorsement as one ex-manager can give another, and it closes the door — at least from Gerrard's side — on the sort of speculation that tends to follow a big-name departure.

Midfield Blueprint

While Gerrard is watching from afar, Charlie Adam has been more specific about where he thinks Rangers can build a genuine Premiership title challenge. The former Ibrox midfielder, writing in the Daily Record, points to the partnership of Dan Neil and Nico Raskin as the engine room capable of driving the club back to the top of the Scottish top flight. Both players returning to fitness and form at the same time gives McInnes options that were not always available to him earlier in the campaign.

The logic is straightforward: when Neil and Raskin are operating together, Rangers have the physicality and the passing range to control midfield for long stretches. Whether the rest of the squad is consistent enough to convert that control into a title is a separate question — but the platform, Adam argues, is there.

Shankland Timeline

One player Rangers will be hoping to add back into the mix soon is Lawrence Shankland. According to Football Insider, the striker is recovering well from a hamstring injury and is on course to return in January. A hamstring setback always carries a small risk of recurrence (clubs rarely commit to an exact return date for that reason), but the early signs are said to be positive. Shankland's goals — and his ability to hold up play and bring others into the game — have been missed, and his return would give the attacking options a significant lift heading into the second half of the season.

Gerrard on Tavernier

Separately, Gerrard has been reflecting on his captaincy call to make James Tavernier his skipper at Ibrox. His reasoning, again shared via Open Goal and picked up by the Evening Times, was not that Tavernier was a natural vocal leader — Gerrard acknowledged he was not — but that the right-back would lead through output: assists, goals, and consistent technical quality. It is an interesting distinction, and one that largely played out as Gerrard predicted during the title-winning 2020-21 campaign.

Elsewhere in the Scottish Game

  • Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson has praised wing-back Hicham Mahou and goalkeeper Daniel Klein following a 4-1 friendly win at Dunfermline Athletic, according to the Press & Journal.
  • St Johnstone are keeping an eye on the centre-back free agent market after Zach Mitchell suffered a season-ending injury, per The Courier.

For Rangers, the bigger picture is one of cautious optimism: a manager who has his predecessor's endorsement, two midfielders who could be the heartbeat of a title push, and a striker edging back towards fitness. McInnes will be aware that endorsements only go so far — points on the board are what will define his tenure.

Frequently asked

Is Steven Gerrard going back to Rangers?
There is no indication that Gerrard is in line to return to Ibrox. He has publicly stated he hopes Derek McInnes is so successful as Rangers manager that there would be no reason for the club to look to bring him back.
When is Lawrence Shankland expected to return from injury?
According to Football Insider, Shankland is recovering well from a hamstring injury and is on track to return in January 2025.
Why did Gerrard make Tavernier Rangers captain?
Gerrard has explained that while Tavernier was not a naturally vocal leader, he chose him as captain because he would lead by example through assists, goals, and consistent technical performance — what Gerrard described as being a 'technical leader'.