Mark Allen has insisted Rangers made the right decision to send high flying loan star Greg Docherty out for the season.
The central midfielder has earned rave reviews for Shrewsbury Town since joining on a season-long loan from the Glasgow giants after he was told he wouldn’t be part of Steven Gerrard’s plans.
Ibrox director of football Allen has claimed the January signing from Hamilton does have a future at the club and new loan manager Billy Kirkwood will monitor him closely.
“We felt as a group Greg needed more game-time and we felt maybe a move away, looking at a different league would help his development,” Allen said, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“He is doing well where he is but we need to monitor him in greater detail and the loan manager will take that responsibility on.
“It is critical to have someone who is looking after the loan players, because they are our assets and our players.”
OPINION
Allen and the Rangers top brass have been proved right by sanctioning a season-long loan for Docherty. It came as something of a surprise after he performed creditably in the second half of last season following his arrival from Hamilton. But there are superior central midfielders on Rangers’ books in the shape of anchorman Lassana Coulibaly, Scotland international Ryan Jack, the versatile Andy Halliday and man-for-all-seasons Scott Arfield. Certainly, a January recall for Docherty should not be ruled out, especially if another central midfielder joins Graham Dorrans on the treatment table. But Docherty is probably best served, and Rangers in the long-term, too, if he is playing regularly in England’s third tier. A player with impressive stamina and the ability to pick a pass as well as beat an opposition player, the former 800m champion has made a huge impression at Shrewsbury, who admittedly play at a lower level than his parent club. He has weighed in with goals – four of them plus four assists from 15 matches in all competitions this season – and a series of performances that demonstrate he is developing well. Why fix what is not broken?