Steven Gerrard Wants to Take All the Liverpool U23s to Rangers

According to a report from The Express today, Steven Gerrard will seek to take multiple Liverpool youth and fringe first team players with him to Scotland on loan as he takes over at Rangers looking to close the gap on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side next season.

Top of the list is said to be Ben Woodburn, who is just 18 years of age and widely regarded as the club’s top attacking prospect—but whose expected chances at first team minutes this season largely disappeared following early exits from the League and FA Cup.

Striker Dominic Solake, 20 years of age and also a rumoured target of Rodgers at Celtic, is also said to be on Gerrard’s wish list along with 21-year-old wingers Harry Willson and Ryan Kent. At least one of them, and possibly more, will be expected to end up at Rangers.

Whichever players do end up at Rangers next season will be heading there on loan. And finding out which ones do make the switch will have to wait until pre-season when Liverpool have a better idea of what their squad will look like heading into the 2018-18 campaign.

For any players whose minutes will be overly limited by new signings, though, the expectation is that Gerrard will be given first crack at taking them on loan as part of a verbal agreement the former Liverpool captain has with Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.

The question, then, is less if any Liverpool players end up at Rangers on loan next season and more a question of when, who, and how many.