Forrester is the ideal fit for Ibrox says Warburton
MARK WARBURTON, the Rangers manager, insists a season spent largely on the sidelines at Doncaster Rovers should not create the impression that Harry Forrester does not possess the talent and temperament to be a success at Ibrox.
Forrester completed a medical yesterday after the English League One side accepted an undisclosed fee and his initial six-month agreement will be made official when the transfer market officially opens on Saturday.
Rangers do not expect to receive international clearance in time to allow the Englishman to make his debut in the weekend’s Ladbrokes Championship visit to Dumbarton, but he is pencilled in to be part of the squad for the visit of Cowdenbeath in the William Hill Scottish Cup on January 10.
Forrester, who turns 25 on Saturday, has made only four starts in all competitions for Doncaster this term with his last appearance coming more than two months ago.
Darren Ferguson, the Rovers manager, has found it difficult to fit the winger, who can also play in the ‘No.10’ role, into his system, but Warburton insists he is the type of individual he wants to build his Rangers side around.
Warburton helped bring Forrester through the youth system at Watford and also worked with him at Brentford.
“I know Harry very well from Watford,” he said. “He has got the quality on the pitch and that is very evident. Off the pitch, he is a good lad and he gets on well with the boys in the dressing room.
“He’s very flexible, and can play in positions 7,8,10 and 11, so left, right and across the middle.
“He has good awareness and a great understanding of how to use his attributes, so he brings an attacking dimension to the team and also more competition.
“It is important to maintain unity and harmony. These players spend a lot of time together and, very often, we have turned players away because we saw them as bad apples in the dressing-room.”
Warburton has made it clear he wishes to recruit most of his new faces early this month and hopes to be able to announce at least one new signing imminently after hinting he has targeted more than the expected two or three arrivals.
“I hope, in the next couple of days, we can announce something more,” he said. “A lot of work has been done. We are looking at players that can add value.”
Warburton has also urged managing director, Stewart Robertson, to make sure deals can be done in an instant due to the levels of competition Rangers will face in the market.
“The amount of available talent is ever smaller, the number of clubs fishing in the same pond is ever bigger and the money down south makes it hard for clubs here,” he said.
“We have to move swiftly and make sure our recruitment process is flexible enough.”
Forrester is confident Warburton can rekindle his career and has already set out to prove he deserves a longer-term deal.
“This move is huge for me,” he said. “This is one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“I’ve known Mark a long time. I know he believes in me. It is only six months, but I want to be here a lot longer.”