Bullish Jamie Carragher has warned Celtic fans that former team-mate Steven Gerrard will be with Rangers for the long haul amid increasing speculation a return to Liverpool is on the cards.
The Anfield legend proclaimed the ex-skipper as "the new King of Scottish football'" having taken Rangers to the brink of Premiership glory.
The Sky pundit reckons there is no chance Gerrard will walk away from the success and a shot at the Champions League next season for a mid-table Premier League side.
In his Telegraph column, Carragher claimed the title success will just be the beginning of silverware filling up the Ibrox as Gerrard will want to celebrate more success in front of the fans.
He said: "The passion of the Rangers fans is a factor which cannot be ignored in keeping Gerrard in Scotland for a long time.
"As with [Jurgen] Klopp’s relationship with The Kop, emotion in a stadium and affection from the supporters is a drug for a coach. Like Liverpool last season, something is missing when you win a title in lockdown.
"The chance to do it again when stadiums are full will drive Gerrard on next season because he knows what the atmosphere will be like when spectators return to acclaim a title-winning team.
"When you have that level of trust, loyalty and adulation, it is not easily sacrificed for a club in the bottom half of the Premier League, where the ambition of mid-table safety would not put the same fire in his belly. A character like Gerrard will always live for trophies, and to feel he is somewhere where his highest ambitions are matched and can be realistically satisfied.
"That’s good news for Rangers if they keep backing their man, and worrying for Celtic. Gerrard is not the kind of character to rest on his laurels after this title. He will want to dominate Scottish football for several years and build a side capable of making headlines in the Champions League, which for obvious reasons is one of his biggest loves.
"When Rangers were searching for the right man in 2018, they needed a personality with the clout, self-confidence and skill to take on a formidable opponent in [Brendan] Rodgers’ Celtic.
"They needed someone who was prepared to work under the shadow of the 10-in-a-row obsession on the minds of both Glasgow clubs. Gerrard has relished and overcome that challenge.
"The biggest tribute you can pay him is it is now Celtic who need to find someone of the required ilk to take on Gerrard.
"Best of luck with that. There's a new king of Scottish football and he looks ready to reign for a while."
