Daniel Candeias hails Steven Gerrard, months after Rangers exit

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Rangers allowed winger Daniel Candeias to leave Ibrox over the summer.

Ex-Rangers winger Daniel Candeias has told O Jogo that he thinks Steven Gerrard is ‘on his way to being a great coach’, showing no ill feeling to the man who sold him.

The Gers head to Portugal to take on Porto on Thursday evening, and they will face a tough task getting a result from Sergio Conceicao’s side.

One player who knows plenty about both sides is winger Candeias, as the Genclerbirligi man has a foot in both camps, much like Pedro Mendes, Nuno Capucho and Bruno Alves before him.

Candeias started his career with Porto, making just five appearances before leaving for Nacional, where he played under Pedro Caixinha – the man who brought him to Rangers in 2017.

Despite an impressive record for Rangers, with 14 goals and 25 assists in two seasons at Ibrox, Candeias was sold to Genclerbirligi this past summer.

The Gers banked just £250,000 (The Scottish Sun) for the 31-year-old, and fans have been taking to Twitter to suggest that he’s missed at Ibrox, with right back James Tavernier exposed without him in the side.

Now, Candeias has shown there is no ill feeling towards Gerrard despite the decision to sell him, as he has told the Portuguese press – as quoted by The Daily Record – that he thinks Gerrard is on his way to becoming a great manager.

Candeias added that Gerrard talks to his players at the right time, and knows when to be calm and when to be aggressive, whilst feeling that his European experience as a player will help Rangers against Porto.

“Gerrard is on his way to being a great coach, in the image of what he was as a player,” said Candeias. “He intervenes when the game asks, not like the ones who fight on the sideline, he talks to the players at the right time. He’s calm and doesn’t fail to say what is needed, but if he has to be aggressive, he’ll speak in the locker room. The experience he has accumulated as a player has been important, he can pass it on to the players. In European competition, everyone will be aware of what they will face,” he added.