Filip Helander left Rangers in the summer are getting himself fit but not fit enough to play any games towards the end of the season.
A nightmare two-year spell saw him rarely take part in full training, never mind play games and his international career reflects this.
After an 18-month absence, Filip Helander returned to first-team football with Odense and has just earned his 20th cap for Sweden too.
Filip Helander makes successful Sweden return after Rangers exit
The towering centre-half hadn’t represented his country since March 2022 but was thrown straight back into the staring XI by Janne Andersson, a huge show of faith from the national team manager.
Sweden raced into a 2-0 lead against Moldova after 18 minutes and Filip Helander looked like he was in for a quiet night, similar to the sort he used to enjoy for Rangers against lesser opposition.
The lead was pegged back but a 3-1 win and 90 minutes under his belt is a successful return.
Despite the expected rustiness, the positional awareness and timing is still there in what is a bitter sweet moment for Rangers fans.
The 30-year old genuinely looked like he was finished as a professional footballer and even the player himself probably wouldn’t have thought that he would get back to international football.
There might be question marks still about the vacancy that Filip Helander’s injury problems created for Rangers but his current situation doesn’t mean that Michael Beale and James Bisgrove were wrong to let him go.
A meagre total of just over 60 games in four seasons simply isn’t good value for money and the evidence suggests that he isn’t capable of contributing for long periods through the year.
His quality, as shown last night, was never in doubt.
Hopefully, Filip Helander can stay fit because, unlike many, his commitment to the cause could never be questioned at Rangers.
