Joe Worrall says his focus is to play as many games as possible while on loan at Rangers before returning to Nottingham Forest next summer. The 21-year-old has no plans to leave The Reds permanent and says all he’s ever wanted was to play for the Midlands outfit.
Worrall was a regular at the back for Forest last season, attracting the attention of Burnley in January due to his fine form, but things spiralled during the tail-end of the campaign. The defender featured in 29 of Forest’s 31 league games up until February 10 but made only two appearances from the 15 outings that followed.
He was mostly an unused substitute in March but was left out of the matchday squad entirely in April and May. His future at the City Ground was uncertain and Rangers capitalised on his situation by bringing Worrall to Ibrox on a season-long loan. He admitted leaving Forest was a “sucker punch” as he’d felt was playing well previously but is enjoying life at Rangers.
Worrall told the Daily Record (h/t Nottingham Live): “There was a spell last year I thought I was playing really well and then not long after that there was the whole thing in the transfer window with Burnley. That is how quick football changes. You go from turning down bids to going on loan in the summer.
“But I have not changed at all as a player. If anything, I have got better. If you overcome setbacks it makes you stronger as a person. I am just trying to get as many games under my belt before I go back to Forest in the summer. I love playing at Forest – it is my home and it is all I have wanted since a kid. So it was a sucker punch to leave, even though it is a loan, but coming to Rangers is unbelievable.”
Worrall has made 11 appearances for Rangers this season. He had to be patient for opportunities at the start of the campaign, being an unused substitute for the majority of September, but he’s since featured in 11 of their last 13 outings in all competitions.
