Rangers centre-back Nikola Katic has unfortunately spent the entire season sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury and Steven Gerrard has now confirmed that the Croatian won't make his Ibrox return until at least next season.

The 24-year-old sadly picked up the injury in pre-season and has been recovering throughout the entire campaign but he will, no doubt, be delighted that his teammates could deliver title number 55 in his absence.

The defender has been a key part of Rangers' side since joining from Slaven Belupo in the summer of 2018, making 59 appearances for the Light Blues and contributing six goals and three assists.

It was suggested recently that Katic was making good progress with his injury and that he was back training on the grass, giving some hope that he might be back before the end of the campaign. However, Gerrard has now sadly confirmed that Katic won't be able to make his return this season, and it will likely be pre-season before Rangers fans see him back on the pitch.

The 40-year-old suggested that it was a 'career-threatening' injury and that Rangers have had to be extremely patient with Katic as he recovers, whilst also delivering the worrying update that the Croatian still has a lot of hurdles to get over before he can make his return.

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The centre-back, who reportedly earns £10k per week at Rangers, is clearly admired by Gerrard, who was full of praise for him after he scored in a 2-1 win against their Old Firm rivals back in 2019, saying:

"The kid is a winner and a warrior. We know what he gives. Anyone his age, after giving the penalty away, might have gone into their shell. It might have affected their performance.

“But if you knock Niko Katic down, he’s gonna get back up and come again. That’s the man, that’s the player.”

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Hopefully, those words ring true as the young centre-back continues to work hard on his recovery, and whilst he wasn't able to be part of their excellent season, he will almost certainly have a big part to play next year if he can get himself back to full fitness.

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