Nikola Katic has put to bed any talk or rumours of a rift with Steven Gerrard in a revealing interview with the Daily Record.
After the Croatian was dropped despite a strong start to the season, there was talk of a rift. But Katic has been quick to dispel any negative talk about his relationship with Steven Gerrard.
That doesn’t mean the 22-year-old wasn’t upset about being left out of the team.
“You know, I used to be angry when I didn’t play because I thought I deserved to. But I needed to be realistic. I had weaker matches, so I was on the bench for a reason,” said Katic.
“Steven Gerrard says he respects me, and I respect him. We have a great relationship.”
“It was my first season at this great club and when you play for an institution like this, the pressure is huge. So all in all, everything was OK.”
The Croatian centre-half looked immovable at the heart of the Rangers defence at the beginning of the season. But after a strong start, Joe Worrall seemed to be preferred to the former Slaven Bepulo man for much of the campaign.
It meant a period of great frustration for the player, but he has battled back to start the last five games for Rangers.
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Now, the passion pours out of the big man and it really is becoming a pleasure to see him in a Rangers shirt. He really cares about the club and fans and you get that from him.
And it’s something plenty of Rangers fans have started to pick up on.
