THE dream and the reality have been very different for Greg Docherty. Now he must take the positives rather than the negatives.

The pride and excitement was clear for all to see when the 21-year-old completed his move from Hamilton Accies and was unveiled as a Rangers player in January. Just six months later, Docherty could be heading out of the door he arrived through.

But, unlike most of those that have found themselves surplus to requirements this summer, there could be a way back to Ibrox for the midfielder as he attempts to make a positive second impression on boss Steven Gerrard.

Read more: Dave King hopes Rangers can make two more signings - and challenge Celtic this season

David MacKinnon saw Docherty rise through the Hamilton ranks and earn his shot in Light Blue during his time working behind the scenes at the SuperSeal Stadium.

And the former Rangers stopper believes the life-long Gers fan will make the most of the chance to showcase his talents away from Ibrox this term.

“It is always difficult when a new manager comes in and he will look at the players in pre-season training and some games and formulate an opinion,” MacKinnon told SportTimes.

“I think Steven has maybe identified that Greg needs to go out and maybe re-establish himself so I wouldn’t see this as a negative, I would see it as a positive. And knowing Greg as I do, I think he is a guy that will take it in a positive way.

“I have got no doubts he will come back stronger willed, with an even better mindset and as a better player, one that is full of confidence.

“There is nothing worse for a player than being on the bench every week or in the stands and never coming on. So I think this could be a positive thing for Greg and for Rangers in the long-term.

“To be honest, I was a bit surprised he wasn’t part of the plans when you look at the type of player that he is.

“Under Steven Gerrard’s guidance and with his ability to influence players, I thought Greg was an ideal fit for him. Sometimes that doesn’t make a difference.”

Read more: Dave King hopes Rangers can make two more signings - and challenge Celtic this season

The move from Accies to Rangers was one that Docherty had dreamt of making for some time but the Gers endured a nightmare end to the campaign with Graeme Murty and then Jimmy Nicholl in charge.

His early outings were encouraging but the midfielder would lose his place in the side as he struggled for match action in the closing weeks of another unsuccessful season at Ibrox.

And the arrival of the likes of Scott Arfield and Lassana Coulibaly, coupled with the returns of Ryan Jack and Jordan Rossiter, leave Gerrard with plenty of options in the middle of the park.

“One thing you can’t overlook is the fact that going to Rangers is a huge learning curve, there is no doubt about it,” MacKinnon said.

“When you go there, it is a huge step up because of the high expectations every week and the fans, quite rightly, demand a certain level of play.

“Being at Rangers, you have to be a player that is eight out of ten every week, you can’t be below that. Greg has been learning the game and I have watched him.

“When he went in at first, he did things off the cuff, did things through his natural ability and his ability to get about the park. Maybe he is over-thinking it now.

Read more: Dave King hopes Rangers can make two more signings - and challenge Celtic this season

“Maybe once he has got in, started listening to people around him and started looking at how the club has changed, he has already had a couple of changes of manager, and that might have affected him.

“I thought when he went there at first he played exceptionally well but maybe he then started to over-think it and you can’t do that at Rangers.

“You have to just go and play to your ability and if you are good enough, which I have absolutely no doubts he is, then you will be in the reckoning.”

For many players, the news that they are being sent out on loan marks the beginning of the end of their time at a club.

That need not be the case for Docherty, however. With four years left on his Ibrox deal, time is still on his side.

MacKinnon said: “From Steven’s perspective, I don’t think he has said ‘Greg Docherty is not for us, let him go out on loan with a view to a transfer’.

“I don’t think that will have come into his mind but he feels that Greg needs to go out, get some games, get some confidence and then come back and be in a position where he can compete every week to get his place.

“Sometimes when managers ask you to go on loan, the first thought of the player, and the public, is that it is a negative.

Read more: Dave King hopes Rangers can make two more signings - and challenge Celtic this season

“In this sense, I think it is a positive because Greg Docherty has got the ability to be an established player for Rangers and a Scotland international going forward.”

Docherty would make 14 appearances in the second half of the season but was powerless to prevent Rangers slumping to a third-place finish in the Premiership.

The Old Firm defeats to Celtic at Hampden and Parkhead – 4-0 and 5-0 respectively – ultimately cost Murty his job and would have been the toughest moments for Docherty, both personally and professionally.

But MacKinnon, now a regular contributor on RockSport Radio, reckons his strength of character will stand him in good stead as he takes one step back and looks to stride two forward.

“This separates a lot of people in the game,” MacKinnon said. “When they suffer a negative, that formulates their whole outlook and shapes their career because they think that the world is against them and things go downhill from there.

Read more: Dave King hopes Rangers can make two more signings - and challenge Celtic this season

“So many players take a hugely negative attitude out of something that doesn’t work for them but the winners, the ones that have a great career, pick themselves up and see the opportunity.

“Greg will go out and use the opportunity so that when he goes back to Rangers the manager won’t want to leave him out.

“Steven has his idea of how he wants the team to play and brought in a lot of players but it is up to Greg to go and prove himself and get in his plans.”