Rangers defender Nikola Katic has stressed his determination to hold on to his spot in the team after an outing against Hearts and admits he spoke to Steven Gerrard when he was out of the side.
Katic, who joined the Gers from Slaven Belupo last summer, has found himself in and out of the playing eleven in recent months due to the exploits of Joe Worrall.
However, the Croatian was restored to the starting eleven for the first time since the 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock last month during Rangers’ win over Motherwell earlier this month.
Gerrard opted to hand Katic another starting role against Hearts on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership, and the defender contributed well by scoring the third goal in a 3-1 win for the visitors at Tynecastle.
And following his impressive display against the Jambos, Katic has stressed that he wants to keep his place in the playing eleven for the few remaining games of the season.
The 22-year-old admitted it was difficult to be out of the eleven in recent months and revealed he spoke to Gerrard a few times when he was left on the bench.
“Of course [it was difficult when I was out of the team], I am a player who wants to play in every game”, Katic was quoted as saying by the Evening Times.
“When I see I am not picked and I arrive at the stadium and see all the fans and the other players preparing then it must be hard mentally.
“But I feel I am really strong in my head. And I am patient. I was working very hard and waiting for a chance all the time.
“Of course I want to keep my shirt all the time now. I want to play every game in the season if I can.
“I talked with the manager a few times when I was out of the team, but I will keep those conversations to myself.”
Katic has notched up 27 appearances in all competitions for Rangers so far this term.
