As Rangers assess an injury to John Lundstram, the influence of the midfielder in Philippe Clement’s squad cannot be understated.
The Scouser might have endured an up-and-down tenure in Glasgow during his two-and-a-bit years in Scotland but you only had to look at the Belgian’s post-match fury to surmise such a conclusion.
Clement was left furious after Diallang Jaiyesimi’s ankle crunching challenge – which was initially only given a yellow card before a VAR review – forced Big Bad John off at halftime.
But the minutes given to John Lundstram during Phillipe Clement’s tenure also stands as a testament to the midfielder’s importance to Rangers.
At the time of writing, other than the second half of the win over St Johnstone and briefly against Dundee, John Lundstram hasn’t missed a single second of action under the Belgian.
John Lundstram a Philippe Clement lieutenant
The fact that John Lundstram has been an ever present in Philippe Clement’s lineup for Rangers stands as a testament to two things.
Firstly, the Rangers midfielder’s routine exposure comes as a result of several high profile injuries in the Ibrox squad.
Whilst Kieran Dowell finally returned to the Rangers lineup under Philippe Clement, Nicolas Raskin remains sidelined with injury and Ryan Jack hasn’t been seen since before the last international break.
But secondly, and perhaps most importantly, John Lundstram has proven himself as one of the leaders in the Rangers squad with his position unshakeable.
Platting himself back into contract contention in recent weeks, by the match Lundstram’s dynamic and all-action midfield displays are becoming as synonymous with the team as club skipper James Tavernier.
Rangers injury blow comes at wrong time
As a result, John Lundstram’s status as one of Philippe Clement’s on-pitch confidants means any potential injury is a serious blow.
Rangers might have the likes of Leon King and Dujon Sterling waiting in the wings, but the state of the Ibrox midfield is a genuine worry heading into the winter break.
Rangers still have four games to fight through before they reach the respite of the winter break and a trip to Celtic Park stuffed amongst it.
Whilst everyone will await the outcome of the Rangers assessments before jumping to conclusions with John Lundstram, Philippe Clement has the right to be aggrieved.
