Rangers have dropped two big hints suggesting Derby County loanee George Edmundson could be set for a permanent move away from the Ibrox club.
Edmundson joined Derby on loan on deadline day after struggling to feature at Rangers.
The 23-year-old has made just one substitute appearance in the Scottish Premiership this term with Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and Leon Balogun for competition.
And since Edmundson’s move to Derby, the central defender has lost his shirt number at Ibrox with new defensive signing Jack Simpson replacing him.
Moreover, Gers boss Steven Gerrard has told Herald Scotland that the current number of six senior centre-backs on the books will be whittled down at the end of the season.
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“We have six centre backs at the moment but that won’t be the case in the summer. Leon has something in his contract that might trigger on its own in the coming weeks. But we don’t have to wait for that because we are really happy with the player and I want him around for next season anyway,” Gerrard explained.
With Balogun’s contract extension, Simpson just joining and both Goldson and Helander regulars, the two players remaining are Edmundson and Nikola Katic.
Katic still has another 18 months remaining on his deal. The Croatia international ruptured his cruciate ligament in pre-season and has yet to feature this campaign.
But Gerrard, speaking to the Daily Record in December, certainly suggested the 24-year-old is very much in his plans when he returns to full fitness.
The signs point to Edmundson. Derby took him on loan on deadline day as manager Wayne Rooney wants to provide competition for Matt Clarke and Andre Wisdom.
Clarke [on loan from Brighton] and Wisdom [out of contract this year] both have questionable futures at Derby and the Rams will make the defence a top priority in the summer.
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