Greg Docherty (Getty Images)
According to Daily Star, Hibernian haven’t ruled out a permanent move for Greg Docherty after the Rangers loanee netted his first goal at the weekend.
The report suggests that Hibs boss John Potter has been impressed by Docherty’s performances since switching from the Ibrox on loan. And the manager has claimed that he could sign the midfielder at the end of the season.
Docherty, 23, who came through the youth ranks of Hamilton Academical FC, was signed by Rangers in the winter of 2018. After spending half of the season with the Gers, he was sent on loan to Shrewsbury Town.
In 50 appearances for the Shrews, he scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists across all competitions in the last campaign. He was instrumental in helping the club fight relegation as they finished 13th in the table at the end of last season.
Docherty returned to his parent club last summer but could not get regular game time despite featuring in the club’s Europa League qualifying campaign, where he assisted 3 three times in 4 games. Currently, with Hibernian, he scored a goal in the SFA Cup against BSC Glasgow.
Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard’s side are currently 2nd in the Premiership table and are 6 points away from rivals Celtic. The Gers have done well but gave away points against Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in the last few weeks.
They will have chances to catch up with the leaders before the end of the season but nothing can be said of their consistency, which has deterred in recent weeks.
Rangers have few options in central midfield in the likes of Scott Arfield, Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Joe Aribo. Therefore, Gerrard has to ensure that he has enough midfielders for the next season and that would be possible only if they retain Greg Docherty.
The 23-year-old has been impressive since his move on loan and was also at his best last season. At Rangers, Davis is already in the twilight of his career and there should be a suitable player to replace him.
In that case, Docherty would be a fine fit. He is young and has the ability to play in an advanced role. He has proven his worth by scoring a handful of goals for Shrewsbury and therefore, Gerrard must stop him from making a permanent move.
The Scottish youth international has gotten better with his loan spell and would be perfect for Rangers next season.
Therefore, Rangers must keep hold of Docherty for the foreseeable future.
