Rangers midfielder Ross McCrorie joined Portsmouth on a season-long loan earlier this month.
McCrorie has been sent out to get regular first-team football under his belt, with Steven Gerrard deeming his chances of featuring heavily at Ibrox this season limited.
Having been one of the only homegrown talents getting regular appearances for the club over the last 12 months, it was a decision that raised eyebrows, but ultimately getting consistent week-to-week action is the best thing for his development right now.
Rangers though have at least ensured that if Gerrard’s midfielders are blighted by injury or lose serious form then they can bring McCrorie back in January.
Jackett told local paper The News: “There is an option to recall him in January.
“We have two long-term loans at the moment, in Sean Raggett there isn’t (an option) and in McCrorie there is. We hope lightning doesn’t strike twice.”
Jackett is referring to trio Ben Thompson, Andre Green and David Wheeler, who all showed good form at Pompey last season before being recalled by their parent clubs in January.
If McCrorie impresses enough in League One in the first half of the season then that could be the proof that Gerrard needs to feature the 21-year-old more regularly in his own lineups and add real depth to the squad for the second half of the campaign.
The Gers appear to be in a win-win situation and they’ll be hoping that the Scotland U21 international can now push on and become the player he has the potential to be.
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