Brendan Rodgers vetoes two Rangers transfers as ex Celtic boss dusts off his Parkhead playbook before return

Gerrard claims Rodgers blocked loan moves for Barnes and Dewsbury-Hall when both were at Leicester, citing the manager's influence in the rejections.

Steven Gerrard has revealed that Brendan Rodgers rejected his attempts to sign Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on loan while Gerrard was Rangers manager and both players were at Leicester City.

Gerrard explained that after Rangers played Leicester's under-23 side during an international break, he was impressed by the two youngsters and immediately asked Rangers sporting director Mark Allen to pursue loan deals. However, with Rodgers in charge at Leicester at the time, Gerrard believes the manager blocked the moves.

"Unfortunately, Brendan Rodgers was the manager, so yeah that was probably the reason," Gerrard said. "I would have taken both of them on loan in a flash."

Both players went on to have successful careers, with Barnes earning England caps and a move to Newcastle United, while Dewsbury-Hall secured transfers to Chelsea and Everton. Meanwhile, Rodgers is currently managing Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League and is expected to return to Glasgow next June for a public appearance.