Rangers have some additional injury concerns ahead of the weekend Premiership fixture against Motherwell after Steven Gerrard confirmed multiple players picked up knocks against Aberdeen.
The Gers drew 2-2 with the Dons at Ibrox on Wednesday night, dropping points for the third time in their last four home league fixtures.
Filip Helander, Ryan Jack, Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic all missed out and Gerrard confirmed on Friday afternoon that none of those players will return to action at Fir Park.
That isn’t all, though. The manager admitted there are also fitness concerns about several unnamed players who featured in midweek.
“Ryan Kent is outside now and if he comes through this session he should clear to come back into the group full time,” he said [RangersTV]. “Ryan Jack is looking better and closer.”
“I think Motherwell won’t be the right decision for either of those two players but they’re extremely close and I’m sure you’ll see them both before the international break.
“Filip Helander is progressing well. We’ve got a couple that have got some issues from the game on Wednesday night but we’re hoping that they’re going to pull through. Borna will be back with us for the Brondby game.”
Rangers’ player recovery timescales have been proven to be far too optimistic on several occasions recently, with Kent an example of a crocked star whose return date continues to be pushed back.
With that in mind, fans may well be concerned about Gerrard’s admission that fresh knocks were picked up against the Dons.
The manager has a relatively large squad at his disposal, so it shouldn’t be disastrous if a central midfielder or a forward were to miss out against the Steelmen.
The Gers are already stretched thin at centre-back and left-back, though, so if players in those positions have picked up knocks and don’t pull through, the coaching staff may have to get creative with selection.
In other news, Rangers fans have responded after images of new Castore Gers gear emerged on social media.