Steven Gerrard has backed Derek McInnes to restore Rangers to former glories, but admitted he doubted he was the right man for the job when he rejected a return to Ibrox last season.
McInnes has taken over the latest Rangers rebuild following last season's third-place finish under Danny Rohl. The new-look side opened the Premiership campaign with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United at Tannadice on Friday night, after which the manager urged the club's recruitment team to speed up efforts to sign wingers.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Gerrard revealed he was approached about the Ibrox job last year, with his family based in Bahrain after his spell in charge of Saudi club Al-Ettifaq. He turned down the offer, but explained his lasting connection with the club.
Close to a return
"In all honesty, I loved my time there. I've got a real affection for Rangers. As it was well documented, I was close to going back for Round 2," Gerrard said. "I watch the team and the club from afar now. I watch every game, I follow every game. And as I say, they'll always have a special place for me."
Ibrox chiefs had hoped to lure Gerrard back after Russell Martin's calamitous short spell as manager. However, concerns over how former CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell were handling the hunt for signings led him to walk away, leaving the door open for Rohl to take over.
Doubts over recruitment
Gerrard, 46, stressed the decision was not easy. "Listen, I considered it very deeply," he said. "It wasn't 100 percent right from a family point of view. I had to really change my family's lives taking them to the Middle East. I had to convince them to take that project on. We had to change schools, we had to change a lot of things."
"And what I didn't want to do was just go missing on my family and go to Scotland and leave them in the Far East. So that was one big hurdle and one big obstacle. The other one was I had a few doubts around recruitment."
"I had a few doubts around the possibility of the team winning quickly because I didn't think the second time I would have got the time and the chance to build something. I think going in for the second time, it would have been about winning now."
"So I had a few doubts and insecurities that didn't feel right. So all things considered, I was 80-90 percent there - but I just couldn't get myself to the right place. And listen, the decision came down to the respect for the club and the respect for the fans."
"And respect for maybe I wasn't just the right man at that time. That doesn't mean I won't be the right man further down the line. Who knows? But I hope they go on now and they're really successful under Derek."
Backing McInnes
Gerrard insisted McInnes has what it takes, saying: "I'm really looking forward and I'm excited for Derek now, going into the new season with a fresh start in pre-season. I think he's been backed so far. Hopefully he'll get a bit more backing before the season and the transfer window's out."
"I think Derek's a Rangers man. He looks like a Rangers manager to me. I've competed against him and I've got nothing but respect for him. I'll give him every support he needs moving forward. I wish him and the team every bit of success in the short, medium and long term. And listen, I'm very much Rangers from afar. I wish them well."
