The Glasgow Rangers defender replaced Ibrox teammate Filip Helander in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI last night.
Glasgow Rangers defender Nikola Katic has spoken about his return to Steven Gerrard’s starting XI in last night’s Europa League clash, which saw the Ibrox side progress to the knockout stage.
Katic’s last start for Rangers came against Hearts in October with Filip Helander and Connor Goldson making up Gerrard’s preferred central defensive partnership so far this season.
However, a foot injury picked up by Helander in the final stages of Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final defeat has left Rangers waiting on the results of a scan and could see him miss a substantial amount of games.
In the Swede’s absence, Katic was drafted back into the Rangers XI as Gerrard’s charges took on Young Boys, and the Croatian looked comfortable for much of the game despite it being his first start in almost two months.
Speaking to the Rangers media team ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership trip to Motherwell, the 23-year-old reflected on his return to the side and also expressed his sadness at seeing Helander sidelined.
“Was really good to play against a good opponent, we had a chance to show we deserve to go through,” said Katic. “It was big pressure returning after not playing for a while but I have experience in Europe now and I prepare myself and work hard every day to be ready.
“I am sad for Helander as he is my friend but I need to take my chance when asked… I learned from last year, it is all about helping the team and not about me.”
Katic joined Rangers in the summer of 2018 from Croatian club Slaven Belupo for a reported £2million fee (Transfermarkt) and he has made 45 appearances to date, with four goals and three assists under his belt (Transfermarkt).
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
