Rangers forked out a reported £2 million [Scottish Sun] for Nikola Katic last summer.
The 22-year-old centre-back arrived from Slaven Belupo in his native Croatia in June and slotted straight into Steven Gerrard’s side.
However, since then he’s had a strange time of it.
Decent runs in the starting XI have been followed by longer stints on the sidelines. Across that time there have been some commanding displays, but some shaky ones too.
Was Katic worth the investment?
From where I am sitting, it seems there are two aspects that need assessing here.
The first has to do with whether or not Steven Gerrard trusts him. The other is to do with his performance levels.
Over the next couple of weeks, we could be set to find out a lot about one or both.
Trust
Steven Gerrard made it abundantly clear from November onwards, that Katic was not in his first choice centre-back partnership.
First Gareth McAuley and then Joe Worrall, got the nod ahead of him.
Now, though, with the chase for silverware over, it’s time to give him a go. Gerrard did just that at the weekend, leaving out the Forest loanee at Motherwell.
Whether he continues to do that or not, remains to be seen. With Worrall’s return to the Championship imminent, it would make sense to prioritise the club’s own players.
If Gerrard withdraws Katic for big upcoming games against Aberdeen and Celtic, though, you have to wonder what the point was in buying him.
Performance
If Katic is in fact given an opportunity, he will certainly be tested over the next few weeks.
The very nature of the split dictates that the Gers are about to face the other five best teams in the SPL.
Going up against the likes of Sam Cosgrove and Odsonne Edouard will be a challenge, both physically and mentally.
However, that’s the whole point of the transfer market. You spend money and bring players in who you think can step up when it matters.
Katic isn’t yet the finished article and Gerrard will have known that when he signed him. However, Rangers can’t wait forever for players to get up to speed.
The Croatian should get a chance to prove he was worth the significant investment and that he deserves a place in the starting XI.
If the performances aren’t up to scratch though, questions will be asked…
