ONE of Steven Gerrard's former team-mates has warned the club that the former England international would always have half an eye on the Liverpool job if he was appointed as manager of Newcastle.

With the Magpies' new owners expected to dismiss Steve Bruce ahead of Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace, Gerrard has been touted as one of the leading candidates to replace the current boss.

The former midfielder is currently manager of Rangers, but when he was asked about the Newcastle job during his press conference on Friday, he pointedly refused to rule out the possibility of moving to Tyneside.

Gerrard's profile makes him of obvious appeal to Amanda Staveley and his advisors, and the 41-year-old was named Manager of the Year in Scotland last season after claiming his first SPL title with Rangers.

The Northern Echo: 04/05/18. IBROX - GLASGOW. The new Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.

However, while his former Anfield team-mate, Peter Crouch, feels he would be a good fit for Newcastle, he also thinks he would jump ship again if the Liverpool job became vacant.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Crouch said: "Let's not mess about — here is Liverpool's next manager. He has to be.

"Jurgen Klopp has that job for as long as he wants it, but he is not going to stay around forever.

"At some point, his family might want to move back to Germany. When that happens, Gerrard will be ready."