Steven Gerrard has revealed that Brendan Rodgers blocked his approaches to sign two Leicester players during his time at Rangers.

Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall both went on to become established Premier League players, but as a pair of youngsters under Rodgers, they were on the fringes of the Foxes’ first-team.

Gerrard routinely shopped in the English market during his time at Ibrox, and has now reflected on his attempt to sign the pair on loan. Given the obvious Glasgow overlap, the deal didn’t happen.

Calvin Bassey eventually did make the exact move from Leicester, though this was upon the expiry of his contract after Rodgers didn’t use him in the first-team.

Steven Gerrard on Brendan Rodgers: ‘That was probably the reason…’

Speaking on The Overlap, Gerrard said of Dewsbury-Hall: “I did try and sign him on loan, I must say. He was a youngster at Leicester. We played Leicester’s Under-23s in an international break, the Rangers team, because we wanted to give minutes to the lads that were staying behind.

“So, we played Leicester’s Under-23s. They came up and we played them at Ibrox. I’m watching the game and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Who’s he? And who’s he?’

“So, I go to the team sheet: Harvey Barnes and Dewsbury-Hall. As soon as the game finished, I’m saying to Mark Allen, who was the sporting director at the time, ‘Can you get me them two on loan? Do whatever we need to do to get them on loan.’

“But unfortunately, Brendan Rodgers was the manager at the time, and I just… yeah, that was probably the reason. Yeah, but I would have took them, I would have took both of them on loan in a flash.

“I think this is the key as to why he’s just missed out [on the England squad]. We wanted him to be a running eight. We played with two eights that liked to get into the box, we seen him as that left-sided one, or sometimes on the right, getting the ball back and putting half-space crosses in.

“So we seen him in a few different roles that we wanted him in our team for, but I think David Moyes has given him a little bit more freedom and license to run.”