OPINION
Steven Gerrard has enjoyed a relatively successful start to his reign as Rangers boss, and one thing which he has really managed well is improving their defence.
The Gers are still not among the best defences in the league, but their solidity and poise at the back is a far cry from last season when they were all over the place under Pedro Caixinha and Graeme Murty.
Summer signings Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic and Joe Worrall have all been mighty impressive for the Light Blues, with Gerrard seemingly now settled on a Goldson-Worrall partnership in the centre of defence.
The decision to drop Katic did come as a surprise to many after his solid start to the season, but Worrall has justified that choice with some solid displays.
However, the 21-year-old has obviously been left unconvinced by his time at Ibrox so far, with the centre-back still set on a return to parent club Nottingham Forest at the end of the season.
Responding to a suggestion from Gerrard that he wants to turn his loan into a permanent deal, Worrall said: “It’s obviously nice that the manager says things like that – but I’m on loan from Forest. Forest are my team, they employ me and pay my wages. It’s a loan for me. I’m really enjoying it here and I thank the gaffer for playing me.
“I’m here until the end of the season so hopefully you’ll see a lot more from me and what I can do. I’m just taking every game as it comes,” as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
While it is understandable that Worrall is still keen on returning to Forest at the end of the season, these comments will no doubt get Gerrard thinking.
The prospect of losing one of his mainstays at the end of the season is a tough one, and could mean that Gerrard is better off reverting to the 6ft 4in colossus Katic [Transfermarkt] alongside Goldson in the long run.
Giving those two the chance to gel as much as possible is likely to benefit Rangers more than excluding Katic in favour of Worrall should he end up leaving.
It is not like Gerrard is losing any quality by bringing Katic in, he is merely just taking a more long-term view of his tenure at Ibrox, which could be thrown off course if his centre-back partnership is back to square one next season.