‘He’ll want another’ – Ferguson backs Rangers boss Gerrard to sign Katic cover
Barry Ferguson has claimed that Steven Gerrard will be looking bring in cover for injured Rangers defender Nikola Katic in the coming weeks.
The ex-Ibrox midfielder has argued that the Croatian will be “devastated” after sustaining a knee ligament injury that is expected to sideline him for the “foreseeable future“.
But Ferguson is also of the opinion that his manager will look to sign a replacement to ensure that competition for a first team spot remains high.
Writing in a column for the Daily Record, he said: “Yes, Katic has been in and out of his back four over the last couple of years but he looks to me as if he’s worked really hard to improve himself every time he’s had a poor game or a setback.
“He’s still young for a centre half and is probably a work in progress but I see a player in there and I’m sure he was coming back this summer looking to nail down his place in the starting line-up. Now, after three months in lockdown, he’s looking at another long spell out of action. He’ll be devastated about that.
“Last season he [Gerrard] had Katic, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and George Edmundson all fighting it out for two positions so I think he’ll want another centre half to make up those numbers for as long as Katic is out of the picture.
“It could be a short term loan or a permanent transfer but either way Gerrard will be looking to increase the quality and improve the competition.”
Will Gerrard sign a replacement for Katic?
It really does depend on how long he is out for.
Posting yesterday on his personal Instagram account, the centre-back suggested that his surgery on the damaged knee had gone well, but even taking that into consideration, it could be some time before we see him back to playing regular football.
And Rangers must hit the ground running this season.
We cannot afford to allow Celtic to build up any kind of momentum in the title race, and that means that we have to go into the campaign in the best possible state.
If that means signing another centre-back to tide us over until Katic returns from the treatment room, then so be it.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Rangers could get 20/21 boost after transfer reports on rival striker.