Steven Gerrard is on the trail of two of his old Rangers defensive stars - but it was a striker he signed at Ibrox who came back to haunt him as his recent miserable run at Al-Ettifaq continued.

Record Sport exclusively revealed how Light Blues captain James Tavernier and Connor Goldson are on Gerrard’s radar as he looks to shore up his backline. However, Gerrard said it was a player in the mould of frontman Fashion Sakala that they desperately need after the Zambian netted a double to pile the misery on his hold boss.

Sakala joined Rangers under Gerrard on a free transfer from Oostende but was allowed to leave at the start of this season by Michael Beale as he joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al Fayha and he continues to impress in the Middle East as he scored a brace in his side’s win over Gerrard’s outfit to take his tally to 16 goals and five assists in 28 league games.

Those numbers are what Gerrard, who watched ex Celtic striker Moussa Dembele score either side of Sakala’s double, feels his side needs as their winless run was extended to six games. Gerrard said after the defeat: “Sakala was dangerous and that is what we lack in our team. We were bad individually and collectively. We conceded two easy goals. I did not like the mentality or the character shown by the players.”

Gerrard’s side sit seventh in the Saudi Pro League with Sakala’s Al Fayha now sitting level on points. Earlier this season, Sakala spoke of his respect for Gerrard but revealed his heartbreak over his Ibrox exit - with Beale giving him the cold shoulder without an explanation.

He said in an interview with The Herald: “The fans played a bigger role for me there than some of the coaches I worked with at Rangers to be honest. For me, the fans were more important than some of the coaches there. Except Gerrard, he was special.”

But on how his summer exit unfolded he said: "I went back to pre-season in Germany and it was a big surprise because my pictures were not taken. I was scoring beautiful goals and my goals were not published.

"I could see my friends celebrating goals. When we had a team meeting, my answers were not allowed to be published. People started asking if I was there in pre-season. I was there from the beginning to the end. It was a hard one to take for me.

"Even if there was a club that wanted to buy me, I could have at least been respected a little bit and leave the club in a good way. Rangers was a club that I felt was like my home and receiving that treatment was so hard for me.”

On his deteriorating relationship with Beale and Rangers exit overall, Sakala added: "That was the hard one. When I was coming back for the new season, I thought the coach would trust me. and want me there for the new season. He didn't talk to me about anything or any transfers. He clearly showed me that I wasn't part of his plans without telling me anything. The time I received a call from Mick Beale was when he told me not to come to the training ground anymore. That was hard to take for me because I didn't do anything.

“Players leave clubs but they are not told not to go to the training ground, not told not to be part of the team. I stayed without training with the club for almost two weeks. I think I deserved much better, I deserved to be respected at least. I understand you want to sell me to get money to buy new players, that is fine.

"But let me just be part of the team, let me say goodbye nicely to my team-mates. When I received a call that I shouldn’t go to the training ground anymore, I didn’t see any of my team-mates anymore. It was hard to say goodbye in such a bad way to people who looked after me so well – Tavernier, Goldson – I had to talk to them on phones when it was time to leave.

"It was hard for them to believe that I wasn’t allowed to go to the training ground anymore. It was sad the way I said goodbye to Rangers, it is very sad. I know the fans didn’t understand the role they were playing with me, but they really helped me a lot.

“The favour I wasn’t getting from the managers, I was getting it from the fans, I was getting it from the players. I was pushing myself every day and working hard every day to do it for them because when I do it, I knew they would be very proud of me and would be singing my song and pushing me.”