The redemption of Rabbi Matondo has been as timely as it has been welcome with the Rangers winger offering a rare bright spark in the forward line this season.
The recently recalled Wales international has looked like the player Giovanni van Bronckhorst paid a reported £2m for and was key again against Motherwell.
Unfortunately, his goal bound effort saw Cyriel Dessers deflect a goal down to an assist but things got worse when Rabbi Matondo went off injured and Rangers struggled without him.
Rabbi Matondo blow as Rangers struggle to create
Michael Beale will have to do without the 23-year old for some time with the manager revealing via Rangers TV that it doesn’t look good:
“Rabbi today we think that might be a bad one. He’s taken a blow on the outside of his knee. That’s the information I was given.”
Matondo had been on the end of a few heavy challenges during the 30-odd minutes that he was on the field.
The one that Beale describes suggests that Rabbi Matondo has injured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
A ligament designed to support the stability of the joint.
The mechanism of injury added to a simple pass with the inside of his foot causing him to go down for treatment is a pretty clear indication, it was just a strange call to see him playing on after Dr Waller’s on pitch assessment.
It’s an indictment of the summer transfer business that a player who was deemed surplus to requirements has become a key player to the extent that we have nobody to replace him.
A grade I sprain would see Rabbi Matondo missing for 1-3 weeks, grade II and he’s looking at 4-6 weeks for a return.
Thankfully, given that he played on, it doesn’t look like a grade III sprain, which would be around three months, and that a grade I or mild grade II is most likely.
Either way, it’s back to the drawing board – again – for Michael Beale.
