Philippe Clement made a rod for his own back when he said that he was going to rid Rangers of the injury curse that has hamstrung them for the last few years.
A squad riddled with injury prone players has been trimmed, but the manager still has a lot of work to do to reach nirvana in terms of player availability.
One individual who might not be seen much for the rest of the season is Leon Balogun, who failed to emerge out of the tunnel for Rangers in the second half at Old Trafford.
Why Rangers should only turn to Leon Balogun as a last resort
The veteran defender turns 37 in the summer and has already played 19 games in this campaign, too many times for someone who should only be a “break glass in case of emergency” type of squad member.
That Balogun was keeping Robin Propper out of the starting XI for a while says it all about Rangers summer recruitment for the middle of defence.
It also speaks volumes about Balogun as a player, an individual, and what he brings to Rangers.
With the Scottish Premiership already virtually over barring a miracle, Clement should now look to the future.
Clinton Nsiala has grown with every game and Rangers have signed Rafael Fernandes too.
The two young defenders can rotate alongside Propper, or John Souttar when he returns until the end of the season.
Unless there is a severe shortage of options, there should be no need for Balogun to play again, other than to say an emotional farewell.
What has Clement said on Rangers injury struggles?
Speaking after an emotional night at Old Trafford, Clement was proud, if not frustrated at how the evening panned out:
“The team wanted to do something special here, and for sure, they were close to doing that.
“In the circumstances, with all the injuries and players that we missed, I’m very proud of what the team showed and their mentality.
“We missed eight players today who could’ve been in our starting XI. So, that’s a lot.
“Then we had to make two changes at half-time, and we put players out of position also.
“It’s a group who wants to work and stick to the plan and do everything for the colours of the club.
“I cannot ask more than what they gave today.”
