Steven Gerrard breaks cover after Rangers rejection as he sends heartfelt message to former Ibrox ally

Gerrard has spoken out on social media for the first time since he rejected Rangers last night

Steven Gerrard has spoken out on social media for the first time since rejecting Rangers – congratulating former Ibrox ally Ross Wilson on his new job at Newcastle.

Gerrard was the man Andrew Cavenagh and co wanted to replace Russell Martin but after two days of talks in London, he decided the timing wasn't right to return to the club.

The search goes back to square one with names like Danny Rohl, Slaven Bilic and Raphael Wicky among those thought to be taken seriously by decision-makers.

As for Gerrard though he heads back to his family home in Bahrain to continue his hiatus from management.

The bulk of his first spell at Ibrox was spent working with former sporting director Wilson, who's gone on to have major success in a similar role at Nottingham Forest.

His reward for that was recently being handed the sporting director position at Newcastle, which was announced yesterday.

And Gerrard had kind words for him as he wrote on his Instagram story: "Congratulations @ross_wilson7. Great club for you, best of luck mate."

It's a big step up for Wilson who wasn't universally popular among fans during his time at Ibrox but has nonetheless gone on to re-establish himself down south, after initially leaving Southampton for Rangers in 2019.

Upon being announced by Newcastle this weekend, he said: "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."

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