After the defensive debacle that was the first half hour at Kilmarnock, Barry Ferguson’s update ahead of Rangers’ Premiership clash with Motherwell on Saturday was most welcome indeed.
Clinton Nsiala lasted only half an hour in Ayrshire.
If it had been all peaches and cream for the young centre-back following his shock emergence as one of Rangers’ standout players at the beginning of 2025, Nsiala is now facing the first trough in a year full of peaks.
The 21-year-old was arguably at fault for both of St Mirren’s goals during Philippe Clement’s last stand.
And after watching him sell Nico Raskin short as Kilmarnock doubled their lead inside 14 minutes in midweek, Barry Ferguson needed no further reason to rescue Clinton Nsiala from the fire and introduce the far more experienced James Tavernier in his place.
It’s fair say Robin Propper did not far too much better than Nsiala at Rugby Park. He tripped in the box to leave Joe Wright free as a bird as Derek McInnes’ side flew out of the blocks from a corner kick.
So, with Motherwell to come on Saturday afternoon, the prospect of Propper and Nsiala starting again may have had even the most optimistic of Rangers supporters fearing the worst.
Fortunately, as Ferguson would explain during his Friday press conference, there is a chance that John Souttar, Dujon Sterling and could all return to the matchday squad for the visit of Michael Wimmer’s team.
Barry Ferguson shares John Souttar update as Rangers stars return
“John Souttar trained today. Dujon Sterling trained today and Leon Balogun as well,” Ferguson says. “So I just need to wait and see the kind of reaction that they have after the training session. But it was good to see them back with the squad.
“As you know, we’re pretty light defensively. But I’ll obviously touch base with the doctor and the medical team in the morning.”
Nsiala made an immediate impact following his Premiership debut in early January. That was a debut which came about more due to necessity than desire, however, Clement promoting the former AC Milan youngster due to a defensive injury crisis which has refused to relent in the weeks since.
Ferguson, then, will be praying that Souttar, Sterling and Balogun can avoid the sort of setbacks which have limited their involvement throughout 2025.
Souttar marked his brief Rangers return with a goal against Ross County earlier in February but has missed the last two Premiership matches. The versatile Sterling hasn’t featured in nearly two months.
Balogun, meanwhile, has played only once since the turn of the year, funnily enough scoring one and assisting another in the 3-0 trouncing of Aberdeen.
Ferguson confirms that the seldom-seen Oscar Cortes may also be in contention after returning to the training pitch following another lengthy absence.
The interim boss – speaking ahead of his first outing as a manager at his beloved Ibrox – also sat down with Nsiala on Thursday to explain the reasoning behind his early substitution at Kilmarnock.
Ferguson explains how Clinton Nsiala reacted to Rugby Park removal
“I’ve got a responsibility. He’s a young player but [Nsiala] was grateful that I spent a bit of time in the office with him,” Ferguson says. “I explained the situation, why I had to do it. It wasn’t only Clinton. It could have been a number of players.
“I just felt at the time I had to make the decision. But he’s fine. As I said, I’ve got a responsibility to make sure the young man’s good going forward, because I do believe that he’s got a bright future.
“Oscar’s another one [who has] trained the last couple of days. Again, he’s been out for a lengthy time. I just need to see how he goes, how his reaction is. I just want these players back available because I really need competition and competition for places.”
