OPINION
Rangers have always been a club to make waves on a national and even global for the right or wrong reasons throughout the years, and the arrival of Steven Gerrard was certainly one to add to the list.
The arrival of the former Liverpool legend to Ibrox to take over as manager in what was his first ever senior position in the dugout was headline news worldwide, and after years of staying in Celtic’s shadow in Scotland, they were back in the spotlight.
They were shocking the rest of Scotland back in 2017 as well, when it was confirmed by the club that they would not be taking part in the reserves division for Scottish sides, known as the SPFL Development League, but instead took the unprecedented move of playing a series of fixtures both in the UK and overseas to grow their players.
It was a decision which seemed to take the club and their emerging talent to the next level, with several young talents making that step up from youth system to senior side, and it seems as though Gerrard is keen on continuing that growth.
As revealed in an official statement from Russian side, and Rangers’ European rivals, Spartak Moscow, relayed in the Daily Record, the Ibrox boss has pushed for and rubber stamped a deal to see the two clubs compete in a youth clash before the two Europa League games as he looks to continue the development of his young stars.
Most managers would be satisfied with the fixture list given but it seems Gerrard is keen to test his future stars against the Russians, and that demonstrates a great desire for growth and competition.
Gerrard might be working brilliantly with his first team at Ibrox but his focus on the youth system shows he is continuing to take Rangers to previously untouched levels – and the club can only improve as a whole.