Steven Gerrard favourite for Championship job that would see him replace former team-mate as manager

STEVEN GERRARD is the bookies’ favourite to become Middlesbrough’s next manager.

The Liverpool legend has been out of work since leaving Al-Ettifaq in January.

He was linked with a return to Rangers but pulled out of the race before Russell Martin was appointed.

Instead his return to management could come at Championship side Middlesbrough.

If he gets the job he will succeed his former England team-mate Michael Carrick, who was sacked last week.

Gerrard, 45, is the bookies’ favourite to take over at the Riverside Stadium, ahead of Rob Edwards and Steve Cooper.

It appears the former Three Lions star is keen on a return to the UK after an ill-fated spell in the Middle East.

Gerrard lasted just 18 months at Al-Ettifaq and won 23 of his 59 matches in charge.

That stint came after he was sacked at Aston Villa following a return of two wins in the opening 12 games of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

His best reign came at Rangers, where he oversaw the club’s first league title for nine years in 2021.

He accumulated 102 points and went unbeaten in the Scottish Premier League, ending Celtic’s period of dominance.

Gerrard won 65 per cent of his games in charge at Ibrox.