EMILE Heskey is hopeful his former Liverpool and England team mate Steven Gerrard can help more young Scottish players make the breakthrough into the senior game if he takes over as Rangers manager.

Heskey has been delighted to see Andy Robertson, the former Queen’s Park, Dundee United and Hull City left back, establish himself at Anfield this season and play a big part in his old club’s run to the Champions League semi-final.

The 40-year-old, who is currently doing his coaching badges and is keen to move into management one day, would like Gerrard to try and develop players rather than buy success if he moves to Ibrox.

Read more: Emile Heskey: Gary McAllister enabled Steven Gerrard to conquer Europe with Liverpool - he can help him at Rangers

“If Stevie takes on the Rangers job there is a project there to be done,” he said. “You want to bring kids through, you want to give players an opportunity to play first team football, you want to produce Scotland’s future stars.

“It is too easy to buy players. Why aren’t we producing more players? Years ago, Scotland was one of the biggest producers of players for the English top flight. Years ago Scotland had top players in every English team. We have gone away from that. The same is true in England.

“Andy Robertson has got the chance to play in the Champions League final this season (Liverpool are leading Roma 5-2 after the semi-final first leg on Tuesday night). If he does he will be is the first Scot in an awfully long time who will have done so. But years ago you would have five or six of them involved every year. Where are they now?”

Heskey, who won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his time with Liverpool, believes Robertson deserves enormous praise for how he has embraced Jurgen Klopp’s high-pressing game plan since joining in an £8 million transfer in the summer.

Read more: Brendan Rodgers: Celtic would have been a difficult first job for me - Steven Gerrard must choose the right club for him​

Heskey added: “I have been impressed with Andy. He has adapted very quickly. Nobody has any doubts about him going forward. The doubts are about him defensively, about him being caught out of position. He has adapted very quickly to that.

“He has worked on that side of his game. He has taken a lot in. It is one thing knowing what you are bad at, it is another thing acting on it. He has acted on it. A lot of players feel they know it all. He isn’t like that.

“He has embraced what Klopp is asking him to do. When a manager is asking you to do something he is asking you to do it for a reason. If you can’t do it he will get someone else, simple as that.

“I do think he’s brilliant. But I do think he’s adapted very well.”

Heskey, who brought his 22 year playing career to an end in 2016 after a spell under his old Leicester team mate Neil Lennon at Bolton, is keen to become a coach himself.

“It is hard to get onto the managerial merry-go-round,” he said. “You have just got to bide your time and take the opportunity when it comes.”