Rangers loanee Joe Worrall made a shocking mistake as Steven Gerrard’s side lost 2-1 to Kilmarnock last night.
The 22-year-old joined the Gers on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest in the summer. However, a change in the dugout at the City Ground had sparked fresh speculation about whether Martin O’Neill might recall him.
The Nottingham Post reported last week that O’Neill was keen on bringing the defender back to Nottingham early. Since then, Gerrard has spoken about how the Reds have missed their opportunity to recall him and that he will now stay with Rangers until the end of the season.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Gerrard said: “We’ve spoken to Nottingham Forest and I think in the deal they had up until January 7 to call Joe back and we never heard anything from it.
“So Joe will remain here.
“He’s a player who has done really, really well for us. I thought he was excellent during the Old Firm.”
However, despite Gerrard’s praise, Worrall’s time at Ibrox does seem to have been very up and down. His costly mistake in last night’s game has put a significant dent in the club’s title hopes.
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Worrall makes shocking mistake
It looked as though Rangers were on course for another valuable three points following Jermain Defoe’s opener. This was soon followed by a colossal error from Worrall which completely changed the course of the game.
Worrall was in possession just outside his penalty area, but switched off and was robbed of the ball by Eamonn Brophy. Much to Worrall’s despair, the striker was able to go on and cooly slot past the keeper.
It was a goal that Forest supporters became accustomed to conceding under the management of Mark Warburton. Worrall simply spent too much time trying to find the perfect pass and was ultimately punished.
In his post-match comments, Gerrard admitted that the mistake affected his side considerably. He said: “We’ve got experience in Gareth McAuley and Joe Worrall is an Under-21 international – I’ve got to trust in them that they’re going to recover from the setback.
“But I think the whole team was affected by the mistake.”
It’s unknown whether the recent speculation was behind Worrall’s dip in performance. However, Rangers supporters were clearly not impressed by his latest display.
Seat Pitch rounded up exactly what they had to say about the defender.