RANGERS supporters may not look back on the managerial reign of Mark Warburton with great fondness, but their former boss and his assistant Davie Weir are at least still trying to do the club a turn.

Weir, as the accomplished centre-half he was in his day, has been a particular influence on Rangers new-boy Joe Worrall, and he played a significant role in persuading the England under-21 international to swap Nottingham Forest for a loan move to the Glasgow giants.

“I spoke to Mark and Davie who had me at Forest,” said Worrall. “They said great things about Rangers, especially Davie who has a special connection with the club.

“Everything he said is true. It’s just a massive club with great facilities. Playing at Ibrox in front of those fans is something I can’t wait for.

“Davie and Mark are very different but they complement each other well.

“Mark is technical manager, where Davie was obviously a top defender. But they brought my game on an awful lot as a young lad. They kept me grounded.

“They taught me to receive the ball from the back and not take liberties. That has stood me in good stead.

“Davie didn’t need to tell me about the football up here. I just asked him about the club as a whole.

“I know about Scottish football and what to expect. I’ve watched plenty of Old Firm games growing up.

“Rangers have been down the leagues for a few seasons but now that we’re back up here, it’s about time we were challenging at the top.”

Worrall was a regular in the Forest side until the arrival of new manager Aitor Karanka in January. He has a remarkably mature outlook on being frozen out for one so young, and believes that hard work is the only way he will prove any doubters wrong.

“I wouldn’t say I was unfairly treated at Forest. It’s just that the gaffer didn’t fancy me,” he said.

“He’s brought in his own players but I never sulked. I spoke to him and asked what was happening.

“He said he’d allow me to go on loan to a suitable club and Rangers were the perfect fit.

“It was hard to get my head around it, definitely. No player wants to be told that you’re not involved. I wasn’t in the team and wasn’t even on the bench.

“That’s difficult to take. But I know I’ve got enough experience in the bank, even at 21, to speak to people I know in the game about it.

“So it was difficult but I’ve come to a huge club in Rangers and I’m happy to be here. I’m a Forest boy but this can be a good year for me.”

The centre-back faces a fight to break into the Rangers starting line-up, with Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic forming an impressive partnership since arriving in the summer.

But he is determined to make his mark and ensure that this loan spell gets off to a better start than his last one three years back.

“I’ve been on loan before at Dagenham and Redbridge and broke my nose in my second game in League Two,” he laughed. “That was good fun.

“When you play centre-back, it doesn’t matter what league you play in. You’re expected to head it, kick it, put your body on the line.

“The Scottish Premiership doesn’t differ too much from the Championship.

“In League Two, the standard of player might not be as good but the basics are still the same.

“Breaking my nose wasn’t a problem, I just got on with it. The physio clicked it back into place.

“I’ve been delayed since February at Forest. But I haven’t took my foot off the gas.

“That’s something I pride myself on, working hard. I’m just getting on with it.

“The manager wants to play me but I have to wait my turn. Whether that’s an injury, a formation change or something else, I’ll be pushing hard.

“When I get an opportunity I’ll take my chance.”