MARK WARBURTON is confident that Gedion Zelalem will agree to extend his loan deal at Rangers from Arsenal until the end of the season after talking things through with his family.
The Ibrox club’s manager held encouraging discussions with Liam Brady, in Glasgow representing Arsenal, earlier this month and it appears the final say on the matter now rests with the 18-year-old midfielder.
“So far, we are in good shape,” said Warburton. “The feedback from Arsenal has been very positive.
“He is speaking to his family and, hopefully, we are closing to securing him.
“Liam has been up. He left his role as Academy Director and now has an important role in charge of the loan players.
“He was up for the Hibs game and I speak to him on the phone regularly.
“Our job is to make sure we have an environment here, which is conducive to his development.
“The current deal is until January, but, as long as everyone is happy, we will extend that.
“I have been delighted with his contribution and the last game he played for Rangers was his best so far.
“We have a great relationship with Arsenal and our job is to make sure they know their asset is being developed properly. “
Zelalem spent the recent international break with the United States Under-23 team and played the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 friendly loss to Brazil in Recife. He looks likely to retain his place in the squad for the side’s Olympic Games play-off with Colombia in March.
Warburton has been impressed by the way the Berlin-born player has settled into life with the United States since opting to play for them earlier this year as a result of qualifying to become an American citizen.
“The feedback was excellent,” said the Rangers manager. “He played the first game against Brazil and he was man of the match.
“He can still play for that team for the next four or five years.”
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