Steven Gerrard has revealed that he could recall Greg Docherty from his loan spell at Shrewsbury in order to have him back at Rangers for the second-half of the season.
Docherty, 22, has been in superb form since heading south of the border in the summer, scoring his seventh goal of the season for the League One club in their 2-2 draw with Peterborough on Saturday.
Ovie Ejaria has since has his loan deal from Liverpool terminated early, leaving Rangers a man down in the midfield.
And Gerrard has revealed that he is considering the possibility of recalling Docherty next month.
“It’s a tough decision that one. We love Greg as a person and as a player,” said Gerrard, as quoted by the Daily Record [09:55am].
“He’s very young, and it’s a difficult one to judge what is the next best step for him because he’s enjoying his football and he’s getting regular games.
“From a selfish point of view, I could drag him back and have him here just to suit me but I’ve got to think about the kid and his future and what is going to make him grow the quickest to be available for Rangers on a more consistent basis.
“We need to make the best decision that is going to help him long-term, rather than just what suits Steven Gerrard for a short-term fix.”
OPINION
It is pretty clear here that Gerrard wants Docherty back, and you cannot blame him. The £675,000 (STV) signing from Hamilton has been in great form for Shrewsbury and he would definitely be able to walk into the first team at Ibrox if he was to return to Glasgow right away. Gerrard needn’t worry about the midfielder’s development because he would definitely get plenty of appearances for the Light Blues in the second half of the season if he was recalled. It would also save the club some money in finding a replacement for Ejaria when they have a ready-made replacement for the loan flop pretty much right under their noses. Rangers fans will surely want Docherty back in January. The Scotland Under-21 international has been playing too well to let him carry on playing in England’s League One when it is clear that the midfield at Ibrox could do with a massive boost.