Thu 2 April 2026 20:10, UK

Steven Gerrard says he was surprised by the “big jump” in quality when he left Rangers for Aston Villa.

The Liverpool legend took over at Ibrox in 2018, in what was his first senior management role, and led Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title in 2021.

They also had some memorable European runs along the way, before the ex-England international took up the post at Aston Villa later that year.

Even though Villa were 17th in the Premier League, Gerrard remarked that there was a big step up in quality from his time at Rangers, regretting that he left Govan so far.

Going off the back of his comments, the financial divide between Rangers, the Scottish Premiership and the Premier League has only grown, highlighting how the gap in quality may be bigger than ever.

On the latest episode of Stick to Football, Gerrard said: “The level was a big jump, I probably didn’t realise at the time when I made that decision.

“In hindsight again, I would have stayed at Rangers longer, with more experience. So I regret doing it now, sitting here, I didn’t at the time, it was...