Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has confirmed that centre-back Joe Worrall will not be returning to parent club Nottingham Forest this month.
The 22-year-old has been the subject of heavy speculation regarding his future at Ibrox with Forest reportedly contacting the Light Blues about a potential early return from his loan [Mirror].
However, speaking ahead of their Scottish Cup clash against minnows Cowdenbeath on Friday, Gerrard has confirmed that the enforcer is set to remain in Glasgow until the summer after talks with Forest, as quoted on the club’s official Twitter account.
??SG: We have spoken to Nottingham Forrest, Joe will remain here until the end of the season. He was superb in the old firm match and we are happy with the job he has done.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 17, 2019
OPINION
It is no surprise really that Gerrard has stood firm over the future of Worrall, with the young enforcer impressing on the whole for Rangers since his arrival in the summer. There have admittedly been some dodgy periods for Worrall, but the 22-year-old is still learning his trade and that was always to be expected. It is obvious that Worrall has the talent to remain at the top of the game for the entirety of his career, and if he makes the right improvements, there is no limit to what he could achieve. Rangers will be grateful to have him around and would have been totally against the idea of him leaving early, with so many key matches laying ahead. The Gers are very much in the title race this season, the first time that has happened in a long, long time, and Gerrard will need all the help he can get to carry the club to some potential silverware.