The 22-year-old has won his place back at Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers.
Steven Gerrard has told Rangers TV that he could have ruined Nikola Katic had he and his staff mis-managed him this season.
The big Croatian centre-back has reminded Rangers fans of his quality in recent weeks after Gerrard restored him to the first XI.
Joe Worrall and Connor Goldson have been the 37-year-old’s centre-back pairing of choice for much of the season, though Katic has displaced the Nottingham Forest loanee, who has been an unused substitution in the Gers’ last three games.
The 22-year-old, a £2 million signing last summer [The Scottish Sun], went eight successive games without kicking a ball for the Ibrox side over February and March.
And Gerrard reckons that he has done well to swerve the risk of destroying his confidence indefinitely.
He told Rangers TV: “He was at an age where I have to manage him a bit different than the more experienced players because it’s so easy to ruin a player, maybe his confidence is a bit low or the form has dipped a little bit.
“So I think myself and the staff have managed it really well and he’s playing his way back into form and playing his way back into the team.
“If he keeps this level, there is no reason why he would go out of the team.”
Katic has had a fine first season on an individual level, despite slipping out of contention. He and Goldson were ever-present figures in helping the light Blues reach the Europa League proper in August and, at 22, it’s exciting to wonder how much he could improve next term and beyond.
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