Ex-Celtic defender Paul Elliott backs Rangers boss Steven Gerrard to manage England in the future

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Former Celtic defender Paul Elliott has earmarked Rangers boss Steven Gerrard as a future manager of the England national team in an interview with BBC Sport.

Former Chelsea man Elliott had a two-year stint at Celtic back in 1989 but is impressed with the work being done by the Rangers boss.

Gerrard is 18 months into his first managerial position with the Light Blues. He oversaw a second-place finish last season and also reached the group stages of the Europa League.

Elliott believes that the Light Blues’ boss is destined for bigger things and could even manage the England team.

He told BBC Sport: “Coming to Scotland has been fantastic for him.

“He was a great player and I was always believed he would have a natural progression into management. There was just something about him, he’s different, he thinks different.

“He’s a natural leader and management is in his DNA. I actually think he’s a long-term future England manager, potentially. I rate him that highly.”

Gerrard’s team face a massive game against Legia Warsaw this evening, with a win earning them a place in the group stages of the Europa League for the second successive season.

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England appointing Gerrard at some point during his managerial career looks like a beautiful fit.

The former midfielder won 114 caps for the Three Lions and served his country with distinction. Although he never won anything during his time playing international football he led by example and scored some important goals for the team.

Gareth Southgate cut his teeth with Middlesbrough and the England under-21 outfit and Gerrard is now earning his stripes at Ibrox.

Rangers will hope that England doesn’t come calling for a few years just yet, however. Under his management, the fans feel they are as close to winning the Premiership title as they have been for many years.

Paul Elliott was speaking to promote Premier Sports’ coverage of the Serie A. Premier Sports will screen up to six live Serie A matches each week including Juventus v Napoli and Lazio v Roma this weekend. See http://premiersports.com for details of a Special Serie A offer.