Midfielder Greg Docherty has revealed that Steven Gerrard is keen on him returning to Rangers for a shot in the first team after his loan spell at Shrewsbury and that a move back to Ibrox could happen in January.
The 22-year-old moved from Glasgow to the English League One outfit in the summer on a temporary deal in a bid to get the young talent more game time, with Gerrard wanting him to develop before including him in the senior side.
Speaking of his immediate future, Docherty confirmed that talks between him and the club had seen Gerrard voice his keenness to see him return to Ibrox and that it could well happen in January.
He told the Evening Times: “He couldn’t offer me the game-time that I needed this season and that was fair enough. You never know with injuries and everything, I could have been playing, but that was a chance that I didn’t want to take.
“The manager has been very clear that he wants me to come back, and he is very keen for me to come back.So, I’ll take it game by game up until January and see where things are at, and if I’m here for the season then that’s fine. Whatever it takes to make a real success of my Rangers career, I’ll do it.”
Opinion
There really is no need for Docherty to make a return to Rangers just yet, with the current options at Gerrard’s disposal doing a perfectly fine job in the circumstances. The manager has plenty of talent running through his side, both in the starting XI and on the bench, and so a move back to Glasgow for Docherty would only see him stuck down the pecking order and waiting for his chance to show what he can bring to the first team, if he is given that opportunity. Gerrard no doubt has plans for him to come back and be a big part of the club’s future but right now things are settled and there is no point disrupting the apple cart for the sake of one youngster who may or may not have what it takes to be a success story. If he really wants to see if Docherty has what it takes, he should make the journey down to Shrewsbury and watch him in person – otherwise, he is best sticking to scouting reports from his backroom staff.