Steve Gerrard recently shed light on his decision to decline the opportunity to return as the manager of Rangers just weeks ago.

Following a disappointing start to their season, the Scottish club dismissed Russell Martin on October 5. Gerrard, who previously led Rangers from 2018 to 2021, was among their top choices to fill the managerial vacancy.

In an interview with TNT Sports, the celebrated Liverpool figure discussed his discussions with Rangers and explained why he chose not to make a comeback to Ibrox.

“The offer felt rushed,” Gerrard explained, noting that his family was in Bahrain at the time. “There was a lot for me to consider in a short span, and there were elements I wasn’t sure about. For such a significant challenge, everything needed to align perfectly, and I had to be fully prepared.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right for me, so I decided to step aside. They have a great manager now, and I wish them all the success. My heart was fully committed due to my strong connection with the club.”

Steven Gerrard has broken his silence on rejecting a return to Rangers due to his family still being based in Bahrain

Gerrard has been on grandad duty daughter, Lilly-Ella, welcomed her first child – a baby girl – in July

Ultimately, Rangers opted for Danny Rohl, the former Sheffield Wednesday manager, who now faces the challenge of turning around a team that has secured only three victories in their first 10 league games this season.

Gerrard, who won the Premiership title for the Glasgow giants in 2021 before leaving for Aston Villa, held talks in London over replacing Martin at the start of the month.

However, with Daily Mail Sport having reported that he was eager to be given control over transfers should he go back to Rangers, it has emerged that Gerrard told chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chair Paraag Marathe that he wished to step away from the race.

Gerrard’s daughter, Lilly-Ella, welcomed her first child – a baby girl – in July. The influencer, 21, took to Instagram to share a black and white image of her boyfriend Lee Byrne, leaving the hospital whilst carrying their newborn in a car seat. She simply captioned the photo, ‘@leebyrne8 2 becomes 3’.

The eldest child of the former England footballer announced she was expecting her first child in January. Lilly has been in a relationship with Lee Byrne – the son of a jailed Irish gangster – since October 2022, and their romance made headlines when it first came to light.

It meant father Steven became a grandfather for the first time at just 45 years-old. The former midfielder has four children with wife Alex – daughters Lilly, Lexie, 19, Lourdes, 14, and a son named Lio, eight.

On Wednesday night, Gerrard posed alongside his granddaughter on social media, sharing the snap to his 11.6million Instagram followers. There was no caption.

Gerrard’s have been based in Bahrain following his ill-fated stint with Saudi outfit Al-Ettifaq and it is understood that was a factor when he spoke with Ibrox chiefs in the summer about the possibility of returning for a second stint as boss.

The former Liverpool captain said he was ‘very close’ to returning to Ibrox earlier this season 

Gerrard is understood to have held talks over replacing Russell Martin in London, with discussions ending amicably

The two parties are understood to have ended talks amicably with the door remaining open to forging an alliance again somewhere in the future. Lilly, meanwhile, announced her pregnancy news in January, sharing a photo of her positive pregnancy test and telling her 222,000 Instagram followers: ‘Our little secret. The best news… mini us is on the way.’

Responding to his daughter’s post, Gerrard wrote: ‘We can’t wait. Congratulations and we love you.’