Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty has admitted he is open to leaving the club if he cannot force his way into the first team over the summer after being told he will be given the chance to prove himself in pre-season.
The 22-year-old is currently out on loan at Shrewsbury Town in England’s League One, impressing in the middle of the pitch with eight goals and nine assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.
Having gone from first teamer to out of favour, Docherty has admitted he would be open to leaving the club permanently after proving himself in England if a first team future does not materialise at Ibrox.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I really want to have a go at it at Rangers. But the point coming down here was that if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason, I can show that I can play down here as well.
“Coming down here was a fresh challenge. I didn’t want to be a player that was in and out of the team this season and be in the same position come next summer. That is to be expected at a big club like Rangers and I know that and knew that when I signed.
“It has been a whirlwind year of course but one that I am embracing and one that is standing me in good stead to go back up there and really have a go at it.
“I think that it would be naïve for me to say that I only see myself at Rangers. If the opportunity did come that I would be able to have a go at it and to show a few people that I have got it. I have been told that I will have a pre-season at Rangers and then they will be watching me and it is up to me so show what I can do.”
Opinion
Docherty has really impressed during his loan spell this season but the competition at Rangers is forever heating up, Glen Kamara’s arrival last month meaning there is now another hurdle for the 22-year-old to overcome when he eventually returns to Glasgow. He was looking like a promising talent when he was playing in the first team at Ibrox but it could well be that he just does not have the quality required to make the grade. His impressive performances south of the border should do his cause no harm whatsoever and if he is allowed to leave Rangers towards the end of the summer there will be plenty of suitors lining up for his capture. Still, his focus is very much on making a name for himself for the Light Blues and he might have to settle for a place on the bench if he does want to remain contracted to the club for another season. That might not be the worst thing in the world for him, for hit help him transition from Shrewsbury to the intense demands set under Steven Gerrard this season.