Rangers struggled to build any momentum in pre-season but Michael Beale insisted that the high volume of training would pay dividends in the long-run, an issue Philippe Clement is now having to deal with.
The former Gers boss had a fully fit squad for about 48 hours earlier in the season but now, the injury list is as big as it has ever been.
Speaking as part of the pre-match press conference, via Rangers TV, for the trip to face Dundee, Rangers manager Philippe Clement was less than impressed with having to give yet another update on the waiting list in the treatment room.
Rangers need to sharpen up with Philippe Clement far from happy
The late 2-1 win over Hearts came at a cost.
Nicolas Raskin had to go off injured to add to John Souttar picking up a slight knock this week too.
When asked for an update on the health of Rangers squad ahead of tonight’s game, Philippe Clement was at pains to see another couple of names added to an already lengthy list:
“Not good enough to be in the squad for tomorrow. That is a downfall because he was doing good things and was taking steps. It is a pity but we need to find other solutions.”
“I hope it is short term but it is not guaranteed towards the weekend. We I’ll see in the next couple of days how these things evolve.
“I need to say one thing more, John Souttar will also not be available for the game with a muscle problem. Not a big one but not available for the game.”
On Roofe, Rangers boss Philippe Clement said regarding any news on when he might return:
“Not for the moment. If it is long term or short term, we don’t know at the moment. We are busy with that assessment.”
At the last count, Borna Barisic, John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, Nicolas Raskin, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo and Kemar Roofe are all on the sidelines with Kieran Dowell and Jose Cifuentes only just returning to action.
Thankfully, Rangers fans were given good news on the possibility of Tom Lawrence making his first appearance under Philippe Clement soon:
“He is closer because he is training now but he is not yet fit enough to be in the squad.”
It’s one thing trying to implement a game plan at a new club, it’s another entirely to do it with a half-fit squad.
Clement might not be able to fix whatever the underlying issue is immediately, but he will be hoping to get as many players back as possible so that he can, at least, manage their minutes better.
