Rangers defender Filip Helander took a big step on his comeback from injury by appearing against Brentford B to increase his chances of facing Celtic.
The 6ft 4″ Swede returned to full training on Friday after spending three months sidelined by a foot injury.
There was never any chance of him featuring in the first leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday due to a puzzling call from Steven Gerrard to omit him from the extended squad for the Europa League knockout stages.
However, it seems as though his return may be being fast-tracked and that he could line up against Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon.
That’s because he got through 45 minutes for the Development team in a friendly against Brentford B at Imber Court on Tuesday night.
Helander was replaced by Northern Ireland youth international Kyle McClelland at half-time with the score at 1-0 to the hosts.
There was no suggestion of an injury, though, with the substitution more than likely planned in advance.
A half represents a good runout but is also short enough to ensure there’s little risk of fatigue setting in.
Theoretically, that’s a decent foundation from which to build upon across the rest of the week.
Given that Helander won’t be involved in Thursday night’s Europa League fixture, once he returns to Glasgow, he should have another four sessions to build up his stamina and shake off any remaining rustiness.
If all goes well in that regard, there’s every chance Gerrard could turn to him to partner Connor Goldson for the Old Firm.
Rangers have struggled defensively since the break, with Goldson, Katic and Edmundson all making errors and had Helander been fit, there’s little doubt he’d have been in the XI a long time ago.
It would be a risk to pick a player who hasn’t played competitive football since December but given the circumstances, especially if things don’t go well against Leverkusen, Gerrard may feel pressed into action.
