Rangers director of football Mark Allen is leaving his role, the club have announced.

Allen, who joined the club in 2017 and oversaw the appointment of Steven Gerrard as manager, is leaving "for family reasons and in order to explore other options", according to a statement on the club website.

The statement continued: "Rangers fully respects Mark's decision and wishes to place on record its thanks to Mark for his hard work and diligence since joining the club in the summer of 2017. In that short time he has helped move Rangers into a significantly stronger position."

Allen said: "It has been a privilege to work for Rangers, one of the biggest clubs in football with such a phenomenal fan base, and I've loved every minute.

"Bringing Steven Gerrard to the club will always be a special point in my career and I would like to thank him, his excellent staff, the players and all the staff at Rangers for their support throughout my tenure."

Manager Gerrard added: "I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude to Mark for the incredible support he has shown to me and all of my staff since I came to the club 16 months ago. Mark's success here is evident for all to see and we would all like to wish him well moving forward."