Rangers boss Steven Gerrard insists "it was never a possibility" that he would leave Ibrox for Everton this summer.
Following the unbeaten Premiership campaign last season, Gerrard's achievements at Rangers have attracted interest from south of the border.
That saw the former Liverpool captain surprisingly linked with the vacant Everton manager's job before the appointment of Rafa Benitez.
Reports down south then suggested Gerrard had been discussed as an option at Goodison Park.
Gerrard insists any discussions would have been a complete non-starter given his diehard Anfield loyalties.
However, he told ESPN that he didn't fault former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez for taking a top job in the English Premier League.
Gerrard said: "Rafa wasn't born in the city, he's not a red through-and-through and he never played against Everton for 20 years and competed against them, so I think it's a very different situation (to mine).
"Rafa is his own man and will make his own professional decisions, so there's no surprise that he wanted to get back in the Premier League at a big club and have the opportunity to compete against all the top teams in the league, so I wasn't very shocked and surprised at all in all honesty.
"I was very shocked and surprised that my name was linked to the job. I don't know where it came from, whether it was paper talk or if there was any truth in it, I'm not sure.
"(Managing Everton) is never a possibility as far as I'm concerned."
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