Steven Gerrard breaks silence after snubbing Rangers job with message to ally

Steven Gerrard has broken his silence on social media following his decision to turn down Rangers - offering his congratulations to former Ibrox colleague Ross Wilson on his appointment at Newcastle. The Liverpool legend was the preferred choice of Andrew Cavenagh and his team to succeed Russell Martin, but following two days of discussions in London, Gerrard concluded the timing wasn't suitable for a return to the club.

The hunt now returns to the drawing board with managers such as Danny Rohl, Slaven Bilic and Raphael Wicky amongst those believed to be under serious consideration. Meanwhile, Gerrard returns to his family residence in Bahrain to carry on his break from management.

During the majority of his initial tenure at Ibrox, he collaborated with former sporting director Wilson, who has subsequently achieved considerable success in a comparable position at Nottingham Forest.

That achievement recently earned him the sporting director role at Newcastle, which was confirmed on Saturday.

Gerrard shared warm wishes for him, posting on his Instagram story: "Congratulations @ross_wilson7. Great club for you, best of luck mate."

It represents a significant career progression for Wilson, who didn't win over all supporters during his spell at Ibrox but has nevertheless managed to rebuild his reputation in England, having originally departed Southampton for Rangers in 2019.

Following his unveiling by Newcastle, he declared: "I'm absolutely delighted to be here at Newcastle United.

"This is such a special club, and I fully understand the passion, ambition and expectations of our incredible supporters, as well as the ambition and desire of our ownership to keep developing and building an even stronger Newcastle United.

"My conversations with ownership have been extremely positive, and I've also been in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson.

"The trust, cohesion and alignment we're building already feels strong, and we believe that being united as a team will be so important as we continue to move the club forward together.

"I'm excited to work with everyone across the different areas within our football department.

"There's already excellent work being done here and, from the first team to the women's team and academy, my aim is to build on that, strengthen our structures over time, and work with our staff to create environments where players and staff can continue to thrive."