According to Ibrox Noise, 23-year-old Greg Docherty is set to exit Rangers in January. The midfielder has struggled to make an impact on Steven Gerrard’s side, only seeing 385 minutes of football in all competitions this season. The report indicates that the exit, however, would likely just be a loan.
The player made brief appearances for Rangers in both legs against Midtjylland in Europe, as well as featuring for nearly an hour against East Fife. A majority of his game time has come against European opposition or in club friendlies, and both of his two assists this season came in Rangers’ 6-0 win against St. Joseph’s. His only full 90 minutes came in a pre-season friendly against Derby.
Perhaps it is best for Docherty to be moved along. It is clear that he has failed to make an imprint on Gerrard up until this point, and a loan move could be exactly what he needs to jump-start his career. His age of 23 is no excuse either, with players such as Alfredo Morelos, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent all becoming regulars for Gerrard while being in a similar age range (transfermarkt.co.uk).
Docherty only averages 6.31 passes into the final third per 90 minutes this season but has managed an 85.2% accuracy with his final third passes. His passes into the opposition’s 18-yard box are also fairly accurate, with a 70% success rate. But Docherty averages 9.35 losses per 90 minutes as well, 30% of which occur in his own half. This could be seen as a liability to Gerrard.
While there are plenty of encouraging statistics to be observed in Docherty’s, there are also some red flags. The rumours that Gerrard is only looking to loan the player out, however, suggest that he still has hope for him. Should Docherty leave Ibrox for a spell at another club, perhaps he can come back a better player. One who is ready to make an imprint on Gerrard’s squad.
(all data and stats from Wyscout.com, accurate at the time of writing)