The real Rangers reason why Steven Gerrard took Saudi gamble as threshold met to END management career amid Ettifaq crisis

Steven Gerrard's ally Robbie Fowler has declared that the boss took on the Al-Ettifaq hot seat to "reinvent" himself to be the manager he was at Rangers again.

The Liverpool legend was speaking to Simon Jordan - who declared that if the Saudi Pro League gamble backfired he would be done as a manager. And the prediction could prove prophetic from former the Crystal Palace owner with Gerrard's side without a win since October - with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr the latest side to hand a defeat to Ettifaq as they remain well out of the title picture.

The former Aston Villa boss spearheaded a major summer outlay from the club with the likes of Scotland and former Celtic defender Jack Hendry, ex-Liverpool stars Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum as well as Demarai Gray and Moussa Dembele making the move to the Middle East amid the spending spree. But the 3-1 defeat to Nassr takes Gerrard's winless run to eight games.

Speaking to the the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast, Jordan gave a brutal assessment of Gerrard's prospects. He quizzed Fowler: "Let's be fair. Irrespective of everything, if he goes over there and makes a horlicks of it he's done isn't he?"

The Anfield icon continued: "There is an argument to say that maybe because of his record at Aston Villa people wouldn't have touched him anyway. He maybe feels he has to reinvent himself to be the manager he was at Rangers.

"He was an unbelievable player, and he speaks unbelievably well on the game. He wasn’t brilliant at Aston Villa but he’ll tell you that himself, and that is why it’s important for him to go to Saudi and do well."