Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty is impressing out on loan.
Rangers may be busy preparing for Thursday’s Europa League clash against Spartak Moscow, but one of their loaned out players enjoyed a fine Tuesday night.
Steven Gerrard’s men can take a huge leap forward in their quest for a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a win at Ibrox tomorrow, and Greg Docherty will certainly be watching.
The midfielder, 22, joined Rangers in January having impressed in the first half of last season with Hamilton Academical, with Graeme Murty forking out more than £500,000 to sign him.
Docherty is a boyhood Rangers fan who fulfilled a dream in signing for the Gers, and showed real promise in the second half of last term as he adjusted to life at Ibrox.
However, when Gerrard arrived as manager, he oversaw deals for a trio of midfielders in Scott Arfield, Lassana Coulibaly and Ovie Ejaria, and Docherty subsequently slipped down the pecking order.
Rangers allowed Docherty to join English League One side Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan deal, and it is certainly paying dividends, as he scored his fourth goal of the season in Tuesday night’s 3-1 home win over Barnsley.
With four in 13 games, Docherty is thriving with the Shrews, and there is already talk of him being recalled in January in order to aid Rangers in the second half of the season – especially with concerns about Graham Dorrans’ fitness, and Gerrard must be watching his progress with one eye on an early Ibrox return having seen Docherty develop into a real goalscoring threat from midfield.
After his goal on Tuesday night, Docherty received a message of encouragement from Rangers coach Michael Beale, making it clear that the Gers staff are keeping close tabs on the fortunes of their loaned-out players – and Docherty is certainly the most impressive of them so far this season.
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