Nottingham Forest’s Championship defender Joe Worrall is spending the season on loan at Glasgow Rangers.
Joe Worrall has certainly impressed Steven Gerrard in the early weeks of his Rangers career. The on-loan Nottingham Forest defender made his debut in Thursday’s 2-2 draw away at Villarreal in the Europa League and the Ibrox manager described his display as ‘outstanding’.
If Worrall continues his promising start to life in Glasgow, Rangers fans might have Mark Warburton to thank.
After all, it was the former Gers manager who helped turn Worrall into the confident ball-playing defender who looked so comfortable on the ball over in Spain last week.
The 21-year-old’s distribution improved hugely after working with Warburton, who was appointed as Forest manager in the spring of 2017.
The former Brentford boss, who is renowned for his possession-based principles, encouraged Worrall to play out from the back rather than merely lump the ball forward, unearthing an impressive range of passing that has now become the youngster’s trademark.
Rangers are now perfectly placed to benefit from Warburton’s coaching. And, speaking to Herald Scotland, Worrall admitted that Warburton and former Gers coach and captain David Weir had a big impact in his development.
“They brought my game on an awful lot as a young lad. They kept me grounded,” Worrall said. “They taught me to receive the ball from the back and not take liberties. That has stood me in good stead.”
Warburton might have lost his job at Ibrox in the winter of 2017, but his work could be about to benefit his former employers 18 months on.
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