Rangers fans asking questions about the club’s transfer dealings amid the latest Michael Beale injury update on both John Souttar and Tom Lawrence.
Both players were signed in the summer and have had a severely limited contribution to the club’s season to date.
This comes with Rangers nine points behind Celtic in the title race having sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst and with Michael Beale finally managing to stabilise the side into some form this season.
Speaking ahead of the Scottish Cup visit of Partick Thistle, and with Rangers looking to defend the trophy they won under the Dutchman last season, the manager was hesitant to set an injury return date for either John Souttar or Tom Lawrence.
That’s even if the manager claimed he was “delighted” with his squad at present as options continue to return following a devastating mid-season run of injuries at Ibrox.
“[John Souttar] is still training in isolation, similar to Tom [Lawrence],” said Michael Beale as he gave an injury update ahead of the Jags’ visit to Ibrox [Rangers].
“Their situation is just dragging out a little bit so no specific update on that, they’re doing individual work at the moment.
“[John Souttar] need a bit more in the tank in terms of his general fitness before we are to throw him out there in the game.
“It’s alright training with us and doing little bits and stuff like that and we’ve got to make sure people react well, they’re almost going to through a pre-season again, so there will be ups and downs but nothing to concern me.
“Tom and John, I don’t to put a time frame on [their return].”
John Souttar and Tom Lawrence injury news symbolic of season
Whilst positive news around Kemar Roofe, Ridvan Yilmaz and John Lundstram shouldn’t be ignored, one glance at the league table and it’s hard to be positive around the Rangers injury situation over the whole of the campaign.
The Gers let a seven point lead slip after Christmas last season, signing perennial crock Aaron Ramsey on loan and eventually playing the Europa League Final without a fit striker.
This season, Rangers went into the market in the summer and just about every player – Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo, Antonio Colak and Ben Davies included – have spent extensive spells on the sidelines this season.
But John Souttar and Tom Lawrence remain the worst injury issues at Rangers and the situation certainly sticks in the craw.
Rangers signed John Souttar despite his injury history, whilst injury mismanagement has clearly contributed to the club’s downturn this season with Tom Lawrence yet another casualty in a season depressingly defined by them.
The Gers have added more injury prone players to an already injury prone player laden squad with Kemar Roofe, Filip Helander and Ianis Hagi also missing the bulk of the campaign, and Steven Davis now ruled out with a potentially career-threatening injury.
Put it down to a light pre-season, put it down to players being overworked ahead of the World Cup, heck, even put it down to bad luck, but Rangers haven’t been helped by moving for players with injury histories and it has clearly cost us big this season.
The pressure is on sporting director Ross Wilson to deliver in the next couple of windows after a very poor run under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and let’s hope this is the beginning of the end of the club’s avoidable and season-altering injury issues.
It’s quite depressing that in league terms at least, we’re already looking at next season in February with our rivals once again in pole position to cash in our golden ticket for another crack at the Champions League.
Whilst we can point to a lack of luck with injuries, there’s a feeling we might’ve known better with a few of them.
Meanwhile, Rangers have been linked with a move for Angus Gunn.
