Ian Crocker has explained why Rangers striker Jermain Defoe missed out on the matchday squad for Wednesday night’s 1-0 win over Hibernian [Sky Sports].
Steven Gerrard fielded a strong side in the capital, with Ryan Jack returning to the starting XI for the first time since November and Kemar Roofe coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes after recovering from a thigh problem.
However, there was a notable absentee at Easter Road, with Defoe not named amongst the substitutes.
It was the first time the veteran striker had missed out on a Premiership matchday squad since September, but as Crocker explained on commentary for Sky Sports, it wasn’t a tactical decision.
Instead, he had been ruled out of contention in advance of the game due to a muscle problem.
No specifics were given regarding the location or severity of the injury, but it’s likely that it was picked up in training on Tuesday, given that in his squad update that morning, Steven Gerrard said that “everyone else is fine and ready to go” after ruling out both Scott Arfield and Nikola Katic [RangersTV].
Defoe will be hoping it’s only a minor issue, particularly given that he still has work to do if he wants to earn a new contract at Ibrox.
The 38-year-old missed a chunk of pre-season and all of August with a hamstring injury and, perhaps unsurprisingly, now appears to be more injury-prone than he was earlier in his career.
Discussing his future earlier in the season, many Rangers fans suggested the club should offer Defoe a very different kind of role at Ibrox from next season.
