Rangers striker Jermain Defoe has tipped Steven Gerrard to go right to the very top of management as he laughed off criticism of the Ibrox gaffer.
Gerrard has come under fire in 2020 after a wretched run of form with accusations he throws players under the bus with his pointed post-match assessments.
Rangers' collapse in 2020 have led to questions over whether or not he is the right man for the job before the coronavirus pandemic shut the Scottish game down.
But Defoe is convinced Gerrard has what it takes to become a coaching heavyweight and compared him to his former bosses Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce - citing the Liverpool legend's knack of understanding his players as one of his key qualities.
He told talkSPORT: "I have to give a shout out to my current manager, Mr Gerrard. He’s going to be a top, top, top manager. It’s a funny one because when I signed for Rangers, obviously you have a bit of banter in the changing room and the lads saying about how I’m pals with the gaffer and stuff like that, but he’s a natural.
"In terms of management he’s still fresh and he’s new but you can see that naturally he’s got everything. He always says to the players, ‘if you want to come speak to me about anything then my door is open’
"He’s approachable which is really important as manager. Sometimes there’s stuff you want to talk about and you might have personal problems and you might have stuff you want to talk about but feel uncomfortable going to the manager.
"But with Steven, you can talk to him about anything. He reminds me a little bit of Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce where you can just approach them and speak about anything."
Defoe was on to speak about the work being done by the NHS as they continue to battle agains the Covid-19 crisis.
And he had a personal message for the frontline workers who are risking their life on a daily basis to try and combat the growing number of cases during this epidemic.
He said: "I just want to thank them on behalf of my family, the football club. It's hard to find words to really express the work that they do. They are amazing, they are heroes. I've been blessed that I've managed to be a footballer and had a good career and you have people that idolise you and stuff like that but when you compare it to what they are doing, they are the true heroes.
"They are the people that are important really. They are having to deal with this situation, day in and day out. It is an immense challenge, it's a massive challenge and I do believe it's a challenge we can win and get over because of the work that they are doing. I'd just like to thank them on behalf of everyone really."
