Steven Gerrard compares Rangers 'challenge' to Saudi rebuild as boss names the 2 snubs that sparked Pro League move

Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has admitted he opted for a move to the Saudi Pro League after being snubbed for two English Championship jobs.

And he reckons task facing him at Al-Ettifaq is similar to the one he took on at Ibrox – where he rebuilt the Light Blues and led them to the Scottish Premiership title. After guiding Rangers to glory it would only be a few months before the Liverpool legend opted to take his chances in the English Premier League with Aston Villa – but his spell in charge was to be brought to an abrupt end after just 11 months with the club facing a relegation scrap.

Gerrard admits that the ill-fated spell at Villa Park left him fearing that he would not be handed another chance in the dugout after failing to hear back from two clubs in the English second tier. The Daily Mail claim the two snubs came from Leeds United and Leicester City, as he spoke to the outlet’s 'It's All Kicking Off' podcast.

Gerrard confessed: "I had a couple of other things on the table at Championship level and I had to make a decision what I believed was right for me. In time with being patient, this was the best offer on the table because we had two offers that had a chance, they were takenk away from me rather than me making that decision. It was important for me not to stay out of the game for too long. I needed a challenge where I would get some time to build something similar to the opportunity I had at Rangers.

"I thought the best thing was to try something a little bit out of the box. I was in for two Championship jobs. I'm not afraid to say that, but I didn't get those jobs (at Leeds United and Leicester City), and this was the best thing on the table at the time."

Gerrard got off to a positive start in the