Ally McCoist on Steven Gerrard's 'big decision' and how Rangers boss is the talk of his media pals

Ally McCoist is enjoying the novelty of having the likes of Alan Shearer strike up conversations with him about Scottish football and he hopes this interest is sustained for some time yet.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has been described as a "superstar" by Ally McCoist (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Whether this is the case or not may well depend on how long Steven Gerrard plans to stick around. At is stands, he is a significant reason why many south of the Border have had their interest piqued by Scottish football, which McCoist knows hasn’t always been the case.

“Let’s be honest about it, he is a superstar,” said the Rangers legend. “The profile that he has given Rangers and Scottish football down south, and throughout the world to be honest with you, is massive, absolutely massive.

“It doesn’t matter if it is Alan Shearer Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, you see the boys down there and it is the first thing that they talk about. They are interested to talk about it, interested to talk about the teams, the managers, the players and that is the kind of profile that someone like Steven Gerrard gives you. I don’t think there is any getting away from it.”

Due to spending much of his time in England because of media commitments at the likes of Talksport, BT Sport and Amazon, McCoist is aware of the amount of speculation linking Gerrard with clubs in England. It’s often claimed that Gerrard will have to spend time at a mid-ranking English Premier League club following his Ibrox spell if he wants to make the step to Liverpool, where many believe he will end up eventually.

For a while it seemed possible that Liverpool might come calling as soon as this summer with Jurgen Klopp struggling to inspire the team to the heights of last season. But the Anfield side are still very much in the running for a top four place and Klopp could yet his see his contract out until 2024. Other clubs could be interested in the Rangers manager this summer.

“Steven is now in a position where he has got a big decision to make,” said McCoist. “I don’t know what Steven wants but I wish him well in whatever he wants. I hope one day he does manage Liverpool, if that is what he wants.

“If he wants to manage England, I hope he gets that wish too. But I think only Steven can answer the question. Going to Crystal Palace or going to Newcastle, is that going to benefit his managerial career now or should he stay at Rangers? Only he can make that decision but whatever decision he makes, it is a gamble. It is all about making decisions and timing is everything, it really is.

“I would be surprised if he doesn’t stay at Rangers for the foreseeable future, but then I am not in Steven’s shoes.

“I just think he is intelligent. The vast majority of time, he thinks about everything he says, he knows what he wants and he has got good people around him. I can’t speak for him, but I don’t know if going to Crystal Palace and finishing 15th in the table will get you the Liverpool gig before staying at Rangers and maybe winning the title again or getting a run in the Champions League.”

Ally McCoist was speaking to promote coverage of Rangers v Celtic exclusively live on Premier Sports this weekend. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. Prices start from £10.99 per month.