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Rangers loanee stars for adopted side in league thrashing

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Rangers loanee Niko Katić starred for adopted side Hajduk Split in their 4-0 thrashing of HNK Gorica in the Croatian First League as they maintained their title hopes.

Portuguese defender Ferro got the side off to a quick start, scoring within the first three minutes before Marko Livaja scored a penalty to double the lead before halftime.

Rangers FC v Sporting Braga - UEFA Europa League Round of 32: First Leg
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Jan Mlakar notched the third before Livaja finished off the rout with his second goal and gave Hajduk all three points.

Niko Katić is solid for Hajduk Split as they keep title hopes alive

Katić played the full 90 minutes for his adopted side in the win and SofaScore rated his performance 7.2 as he continues his fine run of form.

The defender made four clearances, blocked a shot, and made two interceptions during the clash [SofaScore].

His passing ability was also on show as he completed 86% of his passes whilst completing six out of his 9 long pass attempts (66%).

These stats show that he is gaining confidence during his loan spell following a few poor matches during the beginning of his time at the club.

There are still some questions over whether he will be amongst the first-team squad next season once his loan spell ends.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has already signed John Souttar on a pre-contract agreement and there is still interest in Vitesse defender Danilho Doekhi [DailyRecord].

With players such as Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun out of contract at the end of the season and no word as of yet regarding extensions, there may be a chance for the Croatian to fight for his place.

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If he continues his good form as of late, then van Bronckhorst may well give him a chance to see what he can offer.

In other news, a former Rangers starlet made his first start since his shocking on-pitch collapse in November.