After Steven Gerrard confirmed that both Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey are isolating, Rangers are set to be short on cover in a key area for a number of important upcoming fixtures.
Five contracted Gers players were involved in a breach of Covid regulations – Patterson, Bassey, Bongani Zungu, Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear – and are now facing an internal investigation [RangersTV].
With the club in dialogue with the SFA, formal bans may follow, but given that the players have been temporarily removed from the club, they are all definitely out of action in the short-term.
As Dapo Mebude is currently out on loan at Queen of the South and Brian Kinnear is still very much an Academy player, their absences won’t affect first-team plans. Bongani Zungu’s absence is also unlikely to have much of an impact.
The South Africa international has only started four matches since his arrival on loan from Amiens in October and with both Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield recently returning to fitness, his game time was always likely to be extremely limited going forward.
However, the unavailability of both Patterson and Bassey constitutes a significant double blow that leaves the Gers dangerously short at full-back.
Two of Rangers’ best players, James Tavernier and Borna Barisic, fill the starting full-back berths, but Patterson and Bassey are their only like-for-like replacements in the senior squad.
Rumours that skipper Tavernier is carrying a knock have been rubbished by the club and the player himself, but if he or Barisic were to pick up a problem, Gerrard would be left scrambling for makeshift cover.
Ryan Jack and Jack Simpson are perhaps the two most likely to be deployed on either side should disaster strike, but neither player has much experience at full-back and the Gers would likely be forced to significantly alter their playing style in recognition of that.
With a number of big games coming up, including two European matches against Antwerp and a Premiership fixture against in-form Dundee United, the situation is far from ideal.
Ahead of Rangers’ first-leg clash against Antwerp, check out our Predicted XI and our Preview Video over on the Rangers News YouTube channel.
