RANGERS Sporting Director Ross Wilson is sure to be a busy man this summer, with key decisions to be made about the futures of Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo and Alfredo Morelos.

Slightly further down his priorities list, however, will be resolving the impasse over Nikola Katic’s Ibrox future, with Hajduk Split recently confirming that they are unable to pursue a permanent move for the Croatian defender.

“Katic is no longer with us," said Sporting Director Mindaugas Nikolicius. "The compensation clause that Rangers insist on is too big for now. He is returning to Scotland."

The 25-year-old enjoyed a fruitful loan spell back in his home country last term, starting 19 games in all competitions for Hajduk Split as his side lifted the Croatian Cup at the end of May. However, out of contract at Ibrox next summer, Katic appears at a crossroads in his Rangers career.

The Rangers Review analyses his spell on loan last season ahead of his Ibrox return.

Penalty box defending

Katic’s return to Croatia certainly underlined his prowess in defending the penalty box. Indeed, the 25-year-old registered the sixth highest number of blocks per 90 in the Croatian top-flight last term among players with more than 1,000 mintues played.

Katic even recorded 12 interceptions in a game against Istra 1961 last season, six of which occurred in his own penalty area.

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The Croatian remains a defender who thrives on the art of the defending, boasting an innate ability to snuff out danger within the parameters of the penalty area. The cluster of interceptions at the front post area underline his capacity to prevent dangerous crosses from being flashed across goal.

Hajduk Split’s 3-1 away win at Sibenik in January further displayed those backs-to-the-wall defensive qualities. The vast majority of Katic’s recorded interceptions that afternoon occurred inside the penalty area, with a considerable cluster located at the front post.

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There was a moment within the game which perfectly encapsulated both the good and the bad aspects of Katic’s defensive style.

As Sibenik release a pass down the inside channel, Katic attempts to step out to intercept the ball.

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He then gets his feet in a muddle and loses his balance…

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However, he recovers his position quickly enough to slow his opponent down…

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 …Before blocking the cross out for a corner.

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However, Katic is afforded greater license to be aggressive in his approach when playing in a three-man backline.

Hajduk Split predominantly played with a four-man defence throughout last season, although they often moved to a 3-4-1-2 system against some of the division’s bigger hitters. In those instances, Katic slid over to the right-hand side of defence.

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In a home fixture against Rijeka, Hajduk Split are very compact between the lines in their defensive mid-block.

As the ball is fed through to a Rijeka attacker, Katic steps out of the backline to engage.

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Instead of merely shepherding him into a backwards pass, however, he engages in a physical duel and muscles him off the ball.

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This allows his side to recover possession and launch an attack.

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One of Katic’s principal weaknesses at Rangers was his inability to curb his aggressive streak depending on the situation.

Playing in a four-man defence under Steven Gerrard with an emphasis on the full-backs pushing high up the pitch, there was often insufficient cover when Katic lost his defensive duel.

Few Rangers fans will forget the defensive horror show which characterised the 2-2 draw away to St. Johnstone towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign. Although Connor Goldson is equally as culpable for losing an aerial battle in the lead-up to the opener, Katic fails to read the situation.

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As the last man against Callum Hendry, he is slow to cover across and clear the danger.

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This allows the St. Johnstone forward to nip the ball away, before Katic loses his balance and the home side race through to score.

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Aerial prowess

In contrast, the fond memories of Katic during his spell in the Rangers side before his injury are largely centred on his aerial ability, chiefly his headed winner from a corner against Celtic in the New Year Old Firm Derby in 2019.

Those very same aerial qualities have come to the fore during his spell in Croatia, especially from a defensive standpoint.

It was noticeable how Katic contested 24 aerial duels on his first start for Hajduk Split last season, before he registered another 18 aerial contests in a game just a few weeks later. That figure later settled back down – the Croatian’s season average for aerial duels stood at eight – when opponents discovered his dominance in the air and began to target different areas of the pitch.

The 25-year-old was a crucial component in how his side defended set-pieces. As the team’s chief aerial presence, Katic often occupied the centre of the penalty box.

His impeccable leap allowed him to regularly win his aerial battles despite the momentum favouring the attacker, as highlighted below.

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Distribution

However, it was Katic’s ability on the ball that undermined his progress under Gerrard, an aspect which showed little sign of improvement.

Since his appointment in November, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has increased the responsibility on the central defenders to find progressive passes, and Katic’s lack of conviction in possession is at odds with the likes of Goldson and John Souttar’s ball-playing capacity.

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The Croatian lacks confidence with the ball at his feet stepping out of defence, which often leads him into forcing passes which don’t exist.

In the example below, Katic looks to play forward at the expense of a sideways pass to his right full-back.

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However, there are no obvious passing options making a run beyond the opposition defence. The player at the tip of the attack for Hajduk Split effectively has his back to goal.

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Katic aims to thread a pass through for a runner, which is overhit and sails aimlessly out for a goal-kick.

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To underline his unwillingness to stride forward in possession of the ball, Katic averaged only 0.77 dribbles per 90 in the Croatian top-flight last season. It is a far cry from Souttar’s ability to step into the midfield line and distribute, as analysed by the Rangers Review recently.

The execution of Katic’s passes also leave a lot to be desired. Again, he picks up the ball as Hajduk Split look to attack down the right-hand side in the example below.

There is the option to clip the ball into the right-hand channel for a pair of runners to latch onto…

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However, Katic looks to loft the ball in behind the defence at a more central angle.

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Inevitably, the ball sails out for another goal-kick.

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Ultimately, the decision to send Katic out on loan by Gerrard last summer was driven by a need to satisfy the player more than it was viewed as a developmental move. At 25, the Croatian is more likely to improve from a tactical perspective than he is on a pure technique basis.

However, Rangers will still view the loan move as an undoubted positive given Katic featured regularly for a side which tasted domestic cup success.

With a key decision to be made within the corridors of Ibrox in relation to the 25-year-old this summer, his return to Croatia last season should ensure Rangers extract decent value should they decide to move him on.