GLEN Johnson believes Steven Gerrard could be tempted away from Rangers THIS summer.

The former Liverpool defender has tipped his ex-teammate to flourish in the English Premier League, perhaps as Jurgen Klopp's heir down the line, after three years of gradual success as Gers manager. 

With a 21-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and the reputation of stopping Celtic in their quest for 10 in a row under his belt, the Reds icon, according to Johnson, has already proven his capabilities. And he reckons Gerrard's future lies away from Ibrox – maybe even as soon as the end of the season.

"I never doubted that Gerrard would be a top manager and the fact he’s done so well at Rangers is going to open everyone’s eyes to him a lot sooner," Johnson told BettingExpert.com. "He’ll be learning all the time. I expect him to return to Liverpool one day, but you just never have an idea when. 

"The day will come when Klopp decides that he can’t take the club any further when he wins everything and maybe the door opens.

Glasgow Times:

"Managerial roles are all about timing. If the right job opens up at the end of the season he might look at it. He’s stopped Celtic getting their tenth win in a row and Rangers have won the league when three or four years ago it looked unlikely, so what more can he do? 

"He can only go down from here. If there is a big enough offer this summer I think he would definitely be interested."