Steven Gerrard, after his appointment as the manager of Rangers, has been actively beefing up his arsenal. The Gers have been under the shadow of their arch-rivals, Celtic, for quite some time now and the former Liverpool skipper is taking big steps to halt his former manager’s juggernaut. He has been making some shrewd signings and there is no denying that.
Gerrard has already lured the likes of Ryan Kent, Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic, Jamie Murphy and Scott Arfield to the Ibrox Stadium. After so many arrivals, he is understandably keen to free up some space and is also looking to ship out some young guns on loan. The Light Blues were aiming to loan out Greg Docherty to Sunderland, but the move has seemingly hit a wall.
Sunderland boss, Jack Ross, has made it clear that they are not interested to bring Docherty to the Stadium of Light, despite the fact that he was linked heavily with a move to the ranks of the Black Cats all summer. Besides, five of the seven signings made by Ross have prior experience of Scottish football and it was perceived that Docherty’s move was firmly on the cards.
Now that Ross has brushed aside the idea of roping in the 21-year-old, Gerrard has to consider other options to further the midfielder’s developmental graph. He is seen as an asset in Scottish football and needs to be guided in the right direction. Docherty emerged through the youth ranks of Hamilton Academical and was quick to cement a place in their senior side. He made 109 appearances for Hamilton Academical and found the back of the net on 8 occasions.
In January, the Glasgow giants made him sign on the dotted line of a four-and-a-half-year deal when Graeme Murty was in-charge of the club. The Scotland Under-21 international can operate from deep-lying midfield positions as well as the central attacking midfield sector and he certainly has the hunger to make his presence felt. For a starlet with immense potential like him, a loan deal should do wonders.
It would enable him to brush himself further and to also experience the taste of competitive football on a regular basis. He played no part in Rangers’ Europa League qualifier against FK Shukpi and thus, he might not get too many opportunities with his boyhood club this season. Gerrard has done a fantastic job so far and given that Docherty would be a vital asset for them in the near future, he should try to strike a loan deal for the latter with a League One outfit or a Scottish Premiership side.
