Paul Robinson has confessed he is 'so surprised' that Frank Lampard has been overlooked for the Rangers job.

The lowdown

According to The Daily Record's Robbie Copeland, the Rangers hierarchy held 'brief talks' with Lampard, but he didn't make their final three-man shortlist for the position vacated by Steven Gerrard.

Lampard has been out of work since January when he was sacked by Chelsea after a run of one win in five (via BBC Sport).

The former England international previously had a spell at Derby County, during which he led the Rams to the Championship playoff final at Wembley.

Norwich City showed an interest following the recent sacking of Daniel Farke, but Lampard ultimately withdrew himself from contention (via BBC Sport).

The latest

Robinson, one of Lampard's England team-mates, assumed Lampard was Ibrox-bound after the Norwich move didn't materialise.

He thinks the 43-year-old has the credentials to be a success in Glasgow, drawing particular attention to his track record with young players.

"I'm so surprised Frank Lampard is not being heavily backed for the job," he told Football Insider.

"He had talks with Norwich and pulled himself out. Surely everything points to Rangers.

"The job Lampard did at Chelsea was a decent one. I think people forget that.

"He is a good manager who can develop young players in the same way Steven has done. I'm sure Frank could go in and do a job.

"I'm surprised he is not one of the favourites to take the job. I think he'd be a great appointment for them."

The verdict

How good a job did Lampard do at Chelsea? Well, in his first season he creditably navigated a transfer ban and led the Blues to Champions League qualification.

But then, with the shackles off, the club invested in £222million worth of new talent, and they seemed to go backwards. They were ninth in the table when Lampard was shown the door.

So it's a mixed CV, but in fairness the same applies to a firm candidate in Giovanni von Bronckhorst. For all his success at Feyenoord between 2015 and 2019, he ended his tenure at Guangzhou R&F after just eight wins in 23 matches.

It's all about establishing the relevance of prior successes and failures, and perhaps Lampard's early time at Stamford Bridge suggests he would have been perfect under a tighter budget.

In other news, an announcement may be imminent.