Rangers fans have gotten so used to injury problems at the club that they take any update on the situation with a pinch of salt.
Whilst there is undoubtedly a marked change in availability since Philippe Clement came into Ibrox, the Gers continue to be hamstrung with a number of problems this season.
No pun intended.
There are currently five players in the Rangers first-team squad but it’s not just the number which is an issue for increasingly frustrated fans.
The Gers have more than £17m worth of talent on the sidelines with grumbles aplenty about a team who’ve yet to ignite the spirit of the Ibrox crowd.
Here’s the latest injury update on the crocked Rangers quintet as the season enters the humdrum of another international fortnight.
Ridvan Yilmaz
Ridvan Yilmaz is currently Rangers’ most long-term absentee and the left-back hasn’t been seen at Ibrox since the Champions League qualifying defeat to Dynamo Kyiv.
Pulling up after attempting a shot in the 2-0 defeat at Hampden, Yilmaz has now spent the last two months on the sidelines and is overrunning his initial ‘four to six week’ prognosis.
Having briefly been spotted back on the pitch at Auchenhowie ahead of the Europa League defeat to Lyon, it’s clear Ridvan is working his way back to fitness.
But after years of injury troubles, despondent Rangers supporters won’t be holding their breath on the left-back’s return.
Every time Ridvan picks up a head of steam a new problem arises and it’s the left-back’s inconsistency of availability which is hanging over a so-far disappointing stint in Glasgow.
Oh, and the £5m price tag.
There is some good news however, with Ridvan Yilmaz ‘maybe’ set to return to Rangers first-team training before the end of the international break.
Last seen: Rangers v Dynamo Kyiv (Champions League QR3) 13/08/24
Injury type: Thigh/muscle
Initial prognosis: ‘Four to six weeks’
Matches missed: Nine
Earliest predicted return date: Training return before Kilmarnock (20/10/24)
Danilo
Brazilian striker Danilo has been amongst the most unlucky players when it comes injury at Rangers in recent seasons.
In fact, the first year of the hitman’s spell in Glasgow has been dominated by injury problems with the 25-year-old now going through rehab for a third time at Rangers.
This time, Rangers fans aren’t so much hoping as they are praying it’s going to be different.
The club’s shot shy frontline is a growing cause for concern and how the Rangers support would be boosted by the return of the £6m ex-Feyenoord striker.
Like Ridvan, Philippe Clement expects Danilo back in Auchenhowie training ahead of the clash with Kilmarnock but as for when the striker will be back on the pitch, it’s anyone’s guess.
Not picked in the club’s Europa League squad, it’s an inclination that Danilo’s issue is a serious one which could take some time to build on.
Rangers need a fit and firing Danilo if they’re to stand any chance of picking up silverware this season and it needs to be third time lucky as the striker returns to the Ibrox squad.
Last seen: Rangers v Ross County (Scottish Premiership) 24/08/24
Injury type: Medial ligament injury (knee)
Initial prognosis: ‘At least four weeks’
Matches missed: Seven
Earliest predicted return date: Training return before Kilmarnock (20/10/24)
Rabbi Matondo
This was supposed to be Rabbi Matondo’s season at Rangers.
After all, the club knocked back a series of loan moves from the English Championship with the intention of the 24-year-old Welshman making the left-wing berth his own.
Rangers had cancelled a last-minute loan bid for Samuel Edozie and Philippe Clement had thrown his weight behind the wide-man heading into the early September Old Firm.
But since then the £2.5m signing from Schalke 04 has been laid up with injury as Rangers count the cost of that transfer decision at left-wing.
Injuries have plagued Matondo’s two-and-a-bit year stint in Glasgow with time running out for the inconsistent winger to really make the grade in Govan.
Given Philippe Clement’s bleak injury update on Rabbi Matondo before the break, saying the player won’t even be back in training by the time it ends, the jury is out on whether it will be this season after all.
Last seen: Celtic v Rangers (Scottish Premiership) 01/09/24
Injury type: Hamstring
Initial prognosis: ‘Six to eight weeks’
Matches missed: Six
Earliest predicted return date: Motherwell v Rangers (Premier Sports Cup) 03/11/24
Oscar Cortes
The injury to Oscar Cortes, now his third in only 10 months at Rangers, has heaped the pressure on Philippe Clement’s squad.
Rangers are obviously short at left-wing following the injury to Rabbi Matondo and now the club’s number seven is also propping up the treatment table.
Having gone through surgery last season, Cortes pulled up on the first day of the season against Hearts and has now been ruled out for ‘longer-term’ after a training ground injury that was initially talked down.
Rangers have taken strides to improve the club’s stuttering injury record but you’ll notice that a defensive Philippe Clement’s initial prognosis’s routinely fail to come to fruition.
It’s clear the Belgian manager takes a ‘half glass full’ approach to questions on the state of the club’s squad, probably for the sake of his own sanity.
But Oscar Cortes is another who is out for a now undetermined period of time.
Despite the horror injury of last season, Rangers agreed a £4m loan-to-buy deal for Cortes this summer with the transfer under increasing scrutiny.
Last seen: Rangers v Dundee (Scottish Premiership) 21/09/24
Injury type: Training ground knock (unknown)
Initial prognosis: ‘Several weeks’ ‘longer-term’
Matches missed: Four
Earliest predicted return date: Unknown
Tom Lawrence
And that all brings us nicely onto (potentially) Rangers’ best player of the season Tom Lawrence.
The attacking midfielder, 30, has had a horrendous time with injuries over the last two seasons and has been unable to showcase his quite obvious ability in the meantime.
The strain of those injuries have had an impact on Lawrence’s mobility too, with the playmaker’s perceived lack of athleticism attacked by some fans in early season.
But Lawrence has been a genuine match winner for Rangers this campaign and already proven so with goals in 1-0 wins away to Dundee United and at home to Hibernian.
Missing the weekend’s win against St Johnstone at Ibrox, Clement insists that Lawrence has a ‘small injury’ and simply wasn’t risked against the Saints.
It’s a line we’ve been fed before so one weary Rangers fans will take with a pinch of salt!
Last seen: Rangers v Lyon (Europa League) 03/10/24
Injury type: Hamstring
Initial prognosis: ‘Small injury’
Matches missed: One
Earliest predicted return date: Kilmarnock v Rangers (Scottish Premiership) 20/10/24
