Van Bronckhorst sends message to Rangers player Gerrard loaned out

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Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has suggested that Nikola Katic still has a future at Ibrox despite Steven Gerrard sending him out on loan, as quoted in Rangers Review.

Van Bronckhorst has said that Rangers did not plan on recalling Katic from his loan spell at HNK Hajduk Split.

The Rangers boss has said that he will hold talks with the 25-year-old central defender at the end of the season, suggesting that he still has a future at Ibrox.

Croatian defender Katic joined HNK Hajduk Split on loan from Rangers in the summer of 2021.

Gerrard, now the manager of Aston Villa in the Premier League, sent the defender out on loan so that he could get regular playing time, as reported in The Daily Record.

The 25-year-old missed the entire 2020-21 season due to a knee injury.

Van Bronckhorst told Rangers Review: “He’s playing a lot now, that’s the main thing you want when players go on loan.

“I know Ross (Wilson) talked with him in this window but for us, it was never a possibility to bring him back so hopefully, he will continue to develop himself as a player.

“At the end of the season, we will discuss what the squad is going to be for next season but he is a player who is playing so it’s a different situation for him than for Cedric.”

Does Nikola Katic have Rangers future?

In our view, Katic still has a future at Rangers.

The defender is playing regularly on his loan spell at the moment, and that can only strengthen his case when he returns to Ibrox.

Now, of course, the defender will have to work hard and impress Van Bronckhorst in pre-season training.

If Katic does all the things right, then, in our opinion, he could be a big player under Van Bronckhorst at Rangers next season.

Meanwhile, Rangers are among the clubs who are interested in signing 15-year-old Millwall striker Zak Lovelace, according to The Daily Record.

In other Rangers news, left-back Borna Barisic has addressed his future, and told Sky Sports: “You never know in football. What if someone came and said ‘here’s £30m for Borna’? I will not be here, right?

“The only thing that matters is I am fully professional like always. I am fully focused on Rangers and on our next game which is Aberdeen. All the answers, you will have at the start of February.”