With both Gareth McAuley and Connor Goldson currently out injured, Nikola Katic looks set to feature in tomorrow’s Old Firm derby at Ibrox.
If so, it will be his first start for Rangers since the 7-1 mauling of Motherwell back in November.
The Croatian’s form had begun to tail off, after a very strong start to life at Ibrox. Yet, many Rangers supporters remained big fans of the big centre-half and continually argued his case for a recall.
On the other hand, Steven Gerrard seemed determined to sideline the summer signing.
He was continually omitted with no explanation. That is, until the manager touched on the issue in a press conference earlier this month.
The 6ft 4′ colossus featured for the Rangers reserves against Hearts recently, but has mainly been limited to training for the last month and a half.
Gerrard’s decision to exclude him may yet prove costly. An undercooked player will have to feel his way into the biggest game of the season tomorrow.
He did get 30 minutes under his belt after replacing the stricken Connor Goldson, on Boxing Day. However, that hardly suffices as preparation for an occasion such as this.
If, against the odds, Katic can rise to the challenge and put in a commanding performance, he will gain even more popularity amongst the Ibrox faithful.
In that case, Gerrard’s decision to rob a perfectly fit player of action for so long, would rightly face scrutiny.
