Steven Gerrard must use Rangers player that Billy Dodds ‘loves’ as manager talks emerge
Steven Gerrard is on the brink of becoming the new Rangers manager following the sacking of Russell Martin.
Gerrard will meet with Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe in London to discuss his potential return to Ibrox within days.
Having left the Bears in 2021, Gerrard is on course to complete his move back to Glasgow, as he could be announced before Rangers‘ next match against Dundee United on 18 October.
Several players will thrive under Gerrard at Rangers, yet former assistant head coach Billy Dodds believes one rarely-used player must feature during the 45-year-old’s second spell in Govan.
Findlay Curtis could develop into a top player under Steven Gerrard
Findlay Curtis started the 2025-26 season on fire, yet was consistently snubbed by Martin during the last month of his Rangers tenure.
The homegrown talent has risen through the academy, and it’s up to Gerrard to maximise the best use of the 19-year-old’s abilities.
Dodds was the assistant head coach under Barry Ferguson in the 2024-25 season and departed the club in the summer alongside the Gers legend.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show on 8 October, Dodds raved about the 19-year-old’s commitment to Rangers.
He said: “He is a boy whom I’ve got so much time for, he’s got an old-school attitude to die for.
“I loved working with him and he’s come up trumps for Rangers a few times under Martin this season.”
- Scored the first goal of Rangers’ season in the 2-0 Champions League playoff win against Panathinaikos
- Scored the fourth goal of Rangers’ 4-2 win over Alloa Athletic in the second round of the Premier Sports Cup
- Earned a point for the Bears by equalising against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership 1-1 draw
Despite impressing under Martin in the early stages of the season, Curtis was inexplicably dropped in favour of on-loan winger Mikey Moore, who has faced huge criticism.
Martin was slammed for regularly selecting Moore over Curtis when the evidence suggested that the promising 19-year-old was one of Rangers’ biggest assets.
In the 1-1 draw versus Falkirk, Curtis was left out of the squad entirely, leading to fans furiously demanding he be reinstated into first-team action immediately.
Curtis has been incredibly bright on the left-hand side, yet with Djeidi Gassama claiming that spot as his own, there’s no reason why he can’t make a similar impact on the right.
Having not been counted on by Martin, Curtis could now become a crucial player for the Light Blues as they look to change their fortunes in both domestic and European competitions.
Should he be appointed, Gerrard has a huge task on his hands, given how badly the Light Blues have started the season, and he must galvanise his inexperienced squad to start performing to the standard required.
Steven Gerrard must focus on young talents in second spell at Rangers
Gerrard relied heavily on experienced players to lift the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership title, yet things will be much different this time around.
In 2020-21, the youngest player to make more than 20 appearances in all competitions for Gerrard was Ianis Hagi, who finished the season aged 23.
The current Rangers squad includes 12 players, all aged 32 or under, and Gerrard has a much tougher job on his hands.
Youssef Chermiti, Thelo Aasgaard, and Emmanuel Fernandez have all failed to adapt following their moves to G51.
It will be up to Gerrard to get the best of this misfiring Rangers squad, and in Curtis, he has a homegrown talent with an incredibly bright future ahead of him.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @ibroxnews247