Brendan Rodgers 'surprised' at Gerrard's Rangers link
The Celtic boss managed the former Liverpool captain
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers claims he was "a little bit surprised'' to see Steven Gerrard linked to the manager's job Rangers.
The Liverpool Under-18s coach has emerged as front-runner for the post ahead of the Light Blues' trip to Parkhead on Sunday.
Former England captain Gerrard was Liverpool's skipper when Rodgers was in charge at Anfield.
Speaking at Celtic's Lennoxtown training complex, the Northern Irishman said: "I've seen the speculation over the last couple of days and I was a little bit surprised.
"But the most important thing when you are starting out is when you feel the time is right and when you feel ready, especially when it is about your first job.
"It is not necessarily about a club, it is about the right club.
"And if the speculation is right and Stevie has spoken to them then maybe there is something in that, that he feels that it is the right club.
"I know he has always wanted to be a manager, I know that from my time working closely with him at Liverpool, it was something that he wanted to do.
"So if it happens for him then he will obviously feel it is right and the right club to start at.''
Rodgers, whose side can clinch their seventh successive title against Rangers, was reluctant to expand too much on the challenges Gerrard would face in Scottish football.
The former Swansea boss noted Graeme Murty who currently occupies the Ibrox hot-seat but whose hopes of getting it past the end of the season probably ended with the recent 4-0 William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic at Hampden Park.
Rodgers said of Gerrard: "First and foremost it is the football challenge. He has lived with expectation all his life playing with Liverpool and captaining England as well.
"So I think when you go into any job and in particular at the big clubs there is always that expectancy.
"But like I say, it is all speculation and I don't want to spend my whole time talking about that here, when with all due respect, you already have a manager that is in place working at Rangers at this very moment, who has done a very good job in the time he has been in.'