Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall made the bold step to move to Rangers in order to gain first-team experience in the early stage of his career. 

The 21-year-old couldn't have asked for a better mentor to further his development, as Steven Gerrard has certainly had a hand in the progression shown by the central defender since he joined the club.

Worrall has made just four starts for Gerrard's side this season in the league, but has gained valuable first-team experience in Europe, as the youngster has made three starts in their Europa League campaign.

"Playing games is vital at my age. I wanted to be on the frontline playing, getting minutes under my belt, and so far I’ve done that," Worrall admitted in an interview with the Daily Record.

"I’m already a better player for it," Worrall continued. "I’ve played for Forest and on loan at Dagenham – but this broadens your horizons.

"At Forest, you get 20-25,000 fans maximum. Here you’re playing in front of 50-60,000.

"It’s incredible, there aren’t a lot of players who do that so it is a massive step in my career."

Worrall has been praised by Gerrard in recent weeks but the defender has revealed that he is full focused on trying to force his way through to the Nottingham Forest first-team and into Aitor Karanka's set-up.

"It’s obviously nice that the manager says things like that, but I’m on loan from Forest," he said.

"Forest is my team, they employ me and pay my wages.

"It’s a loan for me. I’m really enjoying it here, and I thank the gaffer for playing me in the games."

The Verdict

Worrall's comments certainly came as a surprise to me, as you would think he would be considering making his move at Rangers a permanent one after this season.

But, it's easy to forget that the youngster has already made 56 appearances for Nottingham Forest, and he seems to be set on furthering his development at the Championship club and not with the Scottish giants.

I think this loan move will prove to be an excellent experience for Worrall and he will be confident of building on it when he returns to the Reds at the end of the season.

Thoughts? Let us know!