Rangers’ rivals Hibernian have been dealt a significant blow ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.
Hibs have lost their last four matches and Jack Ross has confirmed he will be without key midfielder Kyle Magennis for the clash against the Gers.
The 23-year-old was only expected to miss a few weeks of action after being forced off at half-time in a Premiership fixture against St Johnstone in September but a return still isn’t in sight.
“Kyle won’t be back available for the foreseeable future,” said the Hibs boss [Edinburgh Evening News]. “Hopefully pre-winter break but at the moment I can’t give a definitive answer on when he’ll return which is a blow for him and for us.”
“It’s not so much a setback, just that there’s been no resolution of the issue he has. It’s frustrating for him and for me because it’s not something that we believed would rule him out for a significant period. But it has done already.
“We’re disappointed because we’ve not lost a [domestic] game he has played in this season. That shows the impact he has on the team and how we play. We have to find another way and that’s what we have used this time for – ensuring we do that starting on Sunday.”
It’s not all bad news for Rangers’ opponents, though, as Christian Doidge will make the squad.
Doidge scored in Hibs’ opening two Premiership games before picking up an Achilles tendon injury, but after recently returning to full training, he took part in a behind closed doors game at Easter Road earlier this week.
Doidge is an additional threat Rangers will have to be wary of at Hampden, even if he’s only fit enough to feature off the bench.
However, Ross’ comments on Magennis show just how significant his absence is for the Edinburgh outfit and the Gers will be hoping to dominate the midfield area in this one.
Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard has sent a message to Rangers ahead of another important upcoming game.
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