Glasgow Rangers kicked off their Europa League group-stage on Thursday, and Joe Worrall made his debut for the Ibrox side.
Ally McCoist told BT Sport’s live pre-match coverage of Rangers’ Europa League group-stage clash with Villarreal (20/09 from 17:15) that he was surprised that Steven Gerrard handed Joe Worrall a Gers debut for the game, while John Hartson suggested that he cannot understand the decision to drop Nikola Katic.
Worrall went into the clash with the Yellow Submarine having not played for the Light Blues before following his summer loan switch to Ibrox. Meanwhile, Katic has been a stalwart of the side since his arrival, having formed an excellent partnership with Connor Goldson at the heart of the defence.
So it may have been a shock for many Rangers fans when it was announced that Worrall would be making his debut for the side in what appears, on paper, to be their toughest test of the group-stages.
And both McCoist and Hartson suggested that they were surprised by Gerrard’s decision, with the latter, in particular, struggling to get his head around the idea of leaving Katic out.
“I’m not sure it’s a risk,” McCoist told BT Sport. “It’s definitely a surprise. I would have thought Katic would have started but Steven and Gary see Joe Worrall in training everyday and will feel that he’s ready. It’s a massive game for him to come in, there’s no doubt about it. I think his European experience is winning the Toulon Tournament with England. This is a tough, tough place to come.”
“He’s not played a minute for Rangers yet. Steven Gerrard’s obviously looked at him and must trust him to come in in such a big game. I really can’t understand that one but good luck to Worrall, big night for him,” Hartson said.
Ultimately, it was an excellent night for Gerrard’s men as they twice came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw against the La Liga side. Worrall generally performed well considering that it was his debut, and Gerrard will argue that Katic now goes into the weekend feeling much fresher.
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