Rangers' Graeme Murty treated with disrespect, says Celtic's Brendan Rodgers

Graeme Murty looked shellshocked as Brendan Rodgers' side won 5-0

Rangers manager Graeme Murty has been treated with disrespect amid talks with Steven Gerrard about his job, according to Celtic counterpart Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic thrashed their city rivals 5-0 on Sunday to secure a seventh straight Scottish league title.

Murty admitted before the game he had been affected personally by news that Gerrard was being lined up as manager.

"He's just been thrown to the garbage really and I think it's very, very discourteous," Rodgers said.

After Sunday's game, Rangers informed the media that neither Murty nor any of his players would be talking, but Rodgers and the former Scotland and Reading full-back were seen having a long chat.

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There had been speculation about Murty's future before Rangers' 4-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic two weeks earlier, after chairman Dave King said they would have to make "the best appointment they can make" for next season.

Then, prior to Sunday's league game, it emerged that former England captain Gerrard, currently an academy coach with Liverpool, was the frontrunner to become the new Rangers boss.

"I'm a wee bit reluctant to talk on it too much, purely because Graeme Murty has been put in a job," Rodgers told Talksport.

"Last year, he was Under-20s coach and everyone was saying 'he's a good guy and he's doing very well'.

Rodgers had a close relationship with Gerrard during his time as Liverpool boss

"The guy went in there and he's done his very, very best in what looks like, from the outside, to be very, very trying and difficult circumstances."

Murty twice stepped up as caretaker boss in 2017 and was then handed the job for five months after the club's failed pursuit of Derek McInnes.

However, Rangers appear poised to replace him and are confident of securing the services of Gerrard, who was captain under Rodgers at Anfield.

"From Stevie's perspective, I know he has always wanted to manage," the 45-year-old Northern Irishman added.

"I'm sure one day he will go on and manage Liverpool, but it's all about timing for Stevie.

"If he feels this is the right opportunity then I'm sure he'll look at it, but I haven't spoken to him on it."

'Believe it or not, the sky is blue here in Glasgow'

Rodgers says he is 'in the best job in the world' after being touted as a replacement for Arsene Wenger (right)

Rodgers, who has three years left on his Celtic contract, has himself been linked with the job being vacated by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

However, although he admitted that he hopes to return to management in the English top flight, he insisted that it will be "no time soon".

"I've got huge respect for Arsenal as a club," he said. "When I started my coaching career, Arsene was just coming into the club and I learned so much in that period as a young coach watching him and his dignity, his class and how he dealt with everything, so it's a club I've got huge respect for.

"But, believe it or not, the sky is blue here in Glasgow and I'm in the best job in the world. I absolutely love it here.

"I would love to work in the Premier League again one day, but I'm hopefully going to be coaching for another 20-odd years."