Rangers FC boss Steven Gerrard recently signed defender Nikola Katic from Croatian side Slaven Belupo and now the manager has stood up to defend his signing.
Katic, 21, arrived at Ibrox on a four-year deal and many people since have raised concerns over the abilities of the youngster and his likelihood to succeed at the club.
Now though the Rangers boss has come out and claimed that Nikola Katic was no flash in the pan and the club were very much aware of what kind of player they were about to sign.
Gerrard has also claimed that Nikola Katic was not his original choice but rather a player who was suggested to him by the club’s scouting division.
Steven Gerrard told STV: “We watched a lot of Katic over the summer. He was a name that suggested to me when I come in the door so Rangers have monitored him for a long time.
“He’s a player with huge potential already highly thought of in terms of international level in Croatia and for the 21s and he’s already been capped at full-time level.
“We’ve had conversations with people in Croatia who’ve been around the kid for a long time. Loads of background checks, what we do for every player.
“It’s a very detailed process before we even identify them and then we watch the kid play, check the mentality, and we believe he ticks a lot of boxes to come here and play for Rangers and he’ll be able to handle it.”
Nikola Katic was one of the key figures in the Belupo squad during the 2017-18 season but there is no denying that he is still pretty much a raw talent. But the kind of faith that Steven Gerrard has shown on him will surely go a long way into calming Katic’s nerves before the new season kicks off.
