Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has confirmed that Rangers loanee Joe Worrall is fighting for his future during his temporary spell at Ibrox ahead of his return to his parent club at the end of the season.
The 21-year-old centre back joined the revolution being undertaken by Gers boss Steven Gerrard on a season long deal over the summer, having been deemed surplus to requirements while at the City Ground.
Speaking about the 6’3″ colossus (source: Transfermarkt) and his future with the Championship outfit, Karanka insisted that his time at Ibrox would determine whether he had a part to play come the end of the season, insisting he needed to see improvements to keep him on.
He told the Nottingham Post: “I am really pleased, because if he is enjoying it in Glasgow and he is improving, he will come back here, stronger.
“The only thing he has to do is show us that he is ready to play in this team. This team has four amazing central defenders. He needs to understand that for him, at 21-year-old, he needs to play football.
“For sure, this experience for him has been really good. If he comes back at the end of the season and he is a better player – and I hope he is, because he says he is enjoying it and improving – he will be part of the team.”
Opinion
It sounds as though Karanka has been impressed by what he has seen from Worrall, which in the long term is probably not good news for Gerrard and Rangers. They would no doubt like to make his temporary stay a permanent one after his impressive performances in front of the Ibrox faithful but that might be easier said than done as continues to dazzle not only the supporters but those watching on from his parent club. He was shipped out to pick up plenty of game time by Forest and that is exactly what he has done, demonstrating his ability to command a back line despite his young age. Rangers were savvy in getting his signing over the line but pushing for anything more than that come the summer is likely to be beyond them – a disappointing truth for the supporters who have grown fond of his performances at the back.