TAM MCMANUS has urged Steven Gerrard to be 'more careful with his words' after his comments on Ryan Porteous' Ibrox red card.

Porteous was ordered off in the first-half after going to ground in a fierce tackle on Joe Aribo in the first-half.

And Gerrard pulled no punches after the match branding the tackle as "wild" and potentially "leg-breaking".

Gerrard had said: "It’s a wild tackle. It’s a leg-breaking tackle if he catches him.

"The kid only has to play the ball. I don’t know why there is any reason that he wants to go in with that intent and it is the second time that he has done it against us because he done it against Lassana Coulibaly not so long ago."

Porteous has been targeted with a barrage of 'sectarian and homophobic' abuse on social media in the aftermath.

And manager Jack Ross revealed he has also been sent messages from trolls 'hoping he dies from a tumour'.

McManus has now claimed Gerrard "stoked the flames" with his comments as he slammed the abuse players are subject to on social media.

Speaking on PLZ Soccer, he said: "I think Gerrard has stoked the flames straight after the game. I think he could've been a little bit more careful with his words.

"Ryan Porteous has obviously taken a lot of stick on social media. As a player, if you're on that, it's hard not to read it when people are tagging you and stuff.

"He's got to take his medicine, he's out for a few games. He's got to reflect on the tackle, can he do better the next time, can he stay on his feet. That's all part of the learning process.

"But in terms of the abuse the players get, I just think it's just the norm now and until people start getting pulled up about it and police get involved and different things, it's just going to continue sadly."