Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has declared Jermain Defoe a ‘doubt’ for Sunday’s Premiership clash against Hearts, as captured by RangersTV.
Defoe was absent from the Gers squad for the 2-2 draw with Feyenoord on Thursday evening, having picked up a knock in training during the week.
The 37-year-old reported to Auchenhowie on Friday, though, and the manager said he would find out more on his condition later in the day.
Rangers forward Defoe being assessed ahead of Hearts fixture
“Jermain Defoe is still a doubt, because we haven’t seen him today”, said Gerrard as captured by RangersTV. “He’ll be assessed right now.”
“It’s not a big problem…I’m confident he’ll be available for the weekend.”
Elsewhere, it looks as though the Gers could have a clean bill of health.
“We’ve got a couple of people that are tight from last night, just in terms of muscles. We’ll assess again, but there’s no major problems from last night. So, fingers crossed we should be fully fit across the board.”
Verdict
The uncertainty over Defoe is clearly the standout concern from this injury update.
The veteran forward is the joint top scorer in the Scottish Premiership with 10 goals and has been deadly at Ibrox this season.
Hopefully, Gerrard’s confidence is a good sign, and we’ll see him return to the squad come Sunday afternoon.
If he misses out, the Gers will be light in terms of attacking options on the bench, with no other out-and-out senior strikers on the books.
