As Rangers fans face up to the fact Ridvan Yilmaz will be out for another five weeks, a refreshing change in direction for the club’s injury updates has been welcomed by fans.
Amid a startling injury crisis at Ibrox which has seen the club’s season almost derail at times, previous manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst was notoriously tight-lipped regarding updates.
There was a huge sense of frustration as several players began to rack up major problems with lengthy lay-offs and everything from the club’s training regime to the Ibrox recruitment came under the microscope.
But speaking after the clash with Hibs, incoming manager Michael Beale once again broke through the wall of Ibrox injury silence to provide an admittedly devastating injury update on Ridvan Yilmaz.
Ridvan Yilmaz handed devastating Rangers injury blow
The reported £5m summer signing from Besiktas has struggled to break through into the side since joining the Gers and a serious hamstring injury has derailed the left-back’s progress.
Yilmaz is now seven weeks into a three month problem which means it will be the end of January before the Turkish international is anywhere near the Ibrox squad.
The Ibrox manager also admitted that the situation with Yilmaz is a major issue with Borna Barisic still on Croatia World Cup duty and the club forced to rely on young right-back Adam Devine.
“It was a very bad hamstring. It was diagnosed at 12 weeks and we’re six or seven into that,” said Beale.
“It’s not ideal obviously with Borna (Barisic) going away. He gets to a World Cup semi-final so well done to him and (Josip) Juranovic (of Celtic).
“I think it’s great for Scottish football to have two players involved at that level.
“That gives an opportunity for young Adam Devine and I thought he took it tonight.”
Speaking after the 3-2 victory over Hibs, Michael Beale also revealed that Leon King missed the match due to a sickness bug and that Antonio Colak pulled out with a tight calf after training.
This follows on from the Rangers manager confirming the imminent returns of Ben Davies – who came off the bench in the Hibs win – and Connor Goldson to the club’s squad.
The new Gers boss also confirmed that Tom Lawrence and John Souttar are nearing returns with a date set for mid-January.
Rangers stars Ianis Hagi and Filip Helander haven’t been seen all season whilst Beale has admitted the club are being careful with Kemar Roofe as he works his way back from a series of interruptive issues.
Whilst the situation surrounding Ridvan Yilmaz is bad news for Rangers, the decision to inform the fans doesn’t change anything in terms of his return but it alleviates the pressure on the management.
It’s also been welcomed by supporters who had been left feeling shortchanged by a lack of information on any problems.
Meanwhile, Rangers have been linked with a reported ex-Chelsea kid move with a £23m deal fresh in the memory.
