Rangers are set to benefit from a transfer clause at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon with Ross County missing key man Stephen Kelly for the Premiership fixture between the two sides.
The Gers have a number of players out on loan this season and the moves have brought about plenty of benefits.
Most of the players concerned are receiving regular playing time and several have helped deal blows to Celtic.
Jamie Murphy scored and notched an assist for Hibs in a 2-2 draw with the Hoops at Easter Road in November, while Ross McCrorie played the full 90 minutes as Aberdeen secured a 3-3 draw against Lennon’s side at Pittodrie in October.
Kelly then played a big part in dumping Celtic out of the League Cup with County.
Crucially, though, while these players have been dealing blows to Rangers’ rivals, they can’t play against their parent club due to clauses in their loan deals.
The Light Blues have benefitted from the contract quirks in their last two fixtures, with McCrorie sitting out of the 2-1 win at Aberdeen and Jake Hastie watching the 1-1 draw with Motherwell from the stands.
This weekend, Kelly will miss out for the resurgent Staggies at Ibrox.
The 20-year-old midfielder has started six of his adopted side’s last eight league games and has made 19 appearances in all competitions so far this season.
He’s the regular set-piece taker for County and arguably the best passer in their team, despite his relative lack of experience at senior level.
New manager John Hughes will likely be disappointed to be without Kelly, with the difficult task of earning a positive result at Ibrox made tougher by his absence.
Ahead of the game, Steven Gerrard has dropped a selection hint regarding an impressive forward.
