Steven Gerrard has provided an encouraging injury update on Rangers defender Filip Helander, as quoted by the Glasgow Times.
The 26-year-old joined the Gers in the summer window for a fee in the region of £3 million [Glasgow Times].
It took him a while to get fully up to speed and to earn opportunities, but he subsequently put in strong displays against the likes of Feyenoord and Porto and had established himself as Connor Goldson’s no.1 centre-back partner by December.
He was forced off in the latter stages of the League Cup final with a foot injury, though, and hasn’t been seen since.
That’s nearly three months of out of the side, with what had initially looked a fairly innocuous issue.
However, it seems a return is finally imminent with Gerrard stating that rehab work is almost complete.
“In terms of the shape of the whole squad, we are not far from having everyone available,” he said, as quoted by the Glasgow Times. “Fil (Helander) is probably a week away all being well.”
“He is in the final week of his rehab. We are getting really close to having a full-strength squad which is really important.”
Verdict
This is exciting news for Bears, given how much the side have struggled in his absence.
The Sweden international isn’t blessed with great pace, nor is he the flashiest of centre-backs.
Yet, he’s strong in the air, reads the game well and is blessed with a level of experience that others still lack. In his 17 appearances for the club, he’s helped secure ten clean sheets.
George Edmundson was superb in the win over Braga in midweek, but both he and Katic, in particular, have made mistakes in domestic competition since the break, with multi-million pound Helander’s absence keenly felt.
His return to action will allow Gerrard to shore things up at the back, without necessarily sacrificing anything in terms of threat from set-pieces.
The Swede netted two important goals during the first half of the season, with one the winner in a comeback against Motherwell and the other the opener in the League Cup final win over Hearts.
