This is the wholesome moment that Steven Gerrard embraced his former Rangers player Fashion Sakala after their teams met in the Saudi Pro League.
Gerrard is the manager of Al Ettifaq having decided to join the football revolution in the Middle East in the summer.
The Liverpool and England legend had been out of work since the previous October having been sacked by Aston Villa. He left Rangers for the Premier League side in November 2021, but he lasted less than 12 months in charge.
He's been back in management since June after taking a break from the game, working as a pundit on TNT Sports.
Fashion Sakala and his former manager at Rangers FC Steven Gerrard. ✨pic.twitter.com/FkBoAoxMbS
— TR Sportzm (@TRSportzm) November 11, 2023
Al Ettifaq currently sits seventh on 22 points in the Pro League after 13 games. Al Hilal lead the way at the summit of the table on 35 points.
He's not the only ex-Rangers connection to be enjoying life in Saudi, though.
Fashion Sakala joined Al Feiha in the summer after Michael Beale sanctioned his £3m transfer away from Ibrox.
He has six goals and two assists from his 19 appearances at the club so far.
Last night, Al Feiha hosted Al Ettifaq in a top-half-of-the-table clash at the King Salman Sport City Stadium. The game finished in a 0-0 stalemate.
And after the game, footage caught the moment that Gerrard and Sakala embraced each other with a heartwarming hug on the touchline.
Gerrard signed the Zambian for Rangers in the summer of 2021 just a few months before he departed for England.
Meanwhile, given he only signed his latest one-year contract extension in May, perhaps it is not a surprise that Ryan Jack is “relaxed” about his future at Rangers.
The 31-year-old is now into his seventh season at Ibrox and has been around the block long enough to know it is what he does on the pitch rather than any signed bit of paper that will define whether he is to remain a long-term part of Philippe Clement’s plans.
