The forgotten men of Ibrox should take after Greg Docherty and look for a loan elsewhere when feasible.
Just look at how Docherty is thriving on-loan at Shrewsbury Town. The midfielder rattled home his fifth goal for his new loan club against Salford last week. It was a stunner too.
That goal was just a small part of a bigger role he’s been playing at Shrewsbury. In England’s League One, he’s quickly becoming one of the league’s best players. He’s now made 18 appearances for the club, and is also getting plenty of exposure.
It’s fair to say that the season down in England is going to do him the world of good upon returning. So, who should follow in his footsteps?
WES FODERINGHAM
This most likely isn’t going to happen, but Foderingham should be wishing that it does.
At the moment he’s Rangers’ number two, and that’s all he’s ever going to be now. With Allan McGregor producing heroic form for club and country, Foderingham’s chances at the club are over.
The Englishman will, of course, be given game-time in certain cup matches. Yet, being dropped for McGregor in the Betfred Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen said a lot about his position at the club. Foderingham had appeared in every match since throughout the competition.
Steven Gerrard won’t want to get rid of Foderingham given that he’s the only viable replacement for McGregor. But, with Jak Alnwick scheduled to return in January, perhaps the Mark Warburton signing could be given his chance to impress elsewhere.
It would certainly be for the good of his career. He’s still a promising goalkeeper, but his career is going to be held back by just being McGregor’s understudy.
ROSS MCCRORIE
There isn’t a central midfielder at the club who feels more frozen out than McCrorie.
Incredibly, he has made 10 appearances this season despite not being favoured. That pales in comparison to the game-time that the likes of Ryan Jack, Lassana Coulibaly, and Ovie Ejaria are receiving however.
McCrorie is one of the most promising talents in Scottish football, and is the most similar player to Docherty in terms of his situation. As the Scotland Under-21 captain, he has a huge future ahead of him for both club and country.
Gerrard has acknowledged the work that McCrorie is putting in these days, but he still doesn’t fancy him yet. The only way for the Rangers youngster to truly stand-out is to get out on loan and impress Billy Kirkwood, Rangers’ new loan manager.
A similar style of move like the one Docherty has managed would be great for him. As it stands, he won’t be featuring much at Ibrox, and at 22-years of age, he has to be playing regularly. A move in January, therefore, is a must.
JORDAN ROSSITER
It just hasn’t worked out for poor Rossiter, has it?
An injury-wrecked two years at Ibrox is just a small part of what’s been an injury-ravaged career in general. Since arriving from Liverpool back in 2016, Rossiter has managed just a woeful 14 appearances – three of which have come this season.
Gerrard confirmed that the midfielder, however, is thankfully fit these days. That’s the first step for him in becoming a Rangers first-team star once more. The next? Getting regular game-time on loan.
Rossiter, as it stands, is just never going to be a permanent replacement for any of the current Gers midfielders. He simply isn’t proven enough, and nobody knows how he would perform over a longer stretch of games.
Unfortunately, Rangers don’t have the luxury of just tossing him in and hoping he does well in the long-term. Instead, he has to prove to Gerrard that he has what it takes to cut it here.
Only by heading down south or on the continent can he prove just that. Perhaps even a move to another Scottish club, but you would expect Rangers aren’t willing to strengthen any of their rivals.
Who else would you like to see go out and impress the Gers staff on loan?
