Director of Football who played key role in bringing Steven Gerrard to Ibrox leaves Rangers

Rangers have announced that director of football Mark Allen is leaving the club.

Allen was key in bringing Steven Gerrard to Ibrox

The move means the Ibrox club are now looking for a new recruitment chief.

Former Manchester City academy director Allen joined Rangers in the summer of 2017 and played a key role in bringing manager Steven Gerrard to Ibrox last year.

In a statement, Rangers said Allen is moving on ‘for family reasons’ and hailed his ‘hugely positive impact in bringing in a higher quality of first team player’. Gerrard also paid tribute to the Welshman.

“I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude to Mark for the incredible support he has shown to me and all of my staff since I came to the club 16 months ago,” said Gerrard. “Mark’s success here is evident for all to see and we would all like to wish him well moving forward.”

Allen said: “It has been a privilege to work for Rangers, one of the biggest clubs in football with such a phenomenal fan base, and I’ve loved every minute. Bringing Steven Gerrard to the club will always be a special point in my career and I would like to thank him, his excellent staff, the players and all the staff at Rangers for their support throughout my tenure. My greatest wish is for Rangers to start winning trophies again and I wish them all the very best for the future”