Rangers winger Jordan Jones has taken to Twitter after his surprise absence from the Northern Ireland matchday squad for their fixture against Romania, due to an apparent injury.
The 25-year-old was included alongside fellow Gers star Steven Davis when Ian Barraclough announced his first squad as boss last month.
However, on Friday evening, the pre-match team news showed that Jones wouldn’t be involved in his country’s Nations League opener, as he was neither named in the starting XI or on the bench.
Jonny Evans didn’t travel with the NI squad due to personal reasons but it seems that Jones’ absence was down to fitness concerns, as suggested by his tweet ahead of the game.
“Good luck to the lads tonight,” he wrote. “Gutted to be missing this one but working hard to be fit for Monday.”
https://twitter.com/JJordanjones11/status/1301940728386514944
Although he didn’t provide specifics on his injury, the fact that he’s hoping to be back available in just a few days time suggests it’s nothing too serious.
It’s no surprise Jones was gutted to miss out, though.
The ex-Killie man is currently very much on the peripheries of the Rangers squad, with his only appearance since the return of football coming off the bench in the Europa League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
He would have been viewing this international break as an opportunity either to prove to Steven Gerrard that’s he’s worthy of more opportunities at Rangers or to provide a reminder of what he’s capable of to the English Championship clubs reportedly interested in his signature [Daily Record].
A start in Monday night’s fixture against Norway looks extremely unlikely, with a cameo off the bench perhaps the best the Gers winger can hope for.
