The final international break of the year is upon us and Rangers players aplenty are being called up by their nations as the season enters a crucial juncture.
With the UEFA Nations League set to be completed in the coming November break, and fixtures being played even further afield, you can expect to see a number of Rangers stars on national duties.
But as Rangers sweat on the fitness of one key Ibrox star, his latest international snub is either an indication of another injury problem or that his national career is very much hanging in the balance.
Tom Lawrence a Rangers injury doubt
Tom Lawrence can’t seem to catch a break at Rangers.
The Wales international joined the Ibrox club in the summer of 2022 and was a marquee arrival who was supposed take Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team to the next level.
But since signing on the dotted line in Glasgow, Tom Lawrence has been struck down by the Ibrox injury curse and is struggling to regain any consistent fitness.
Between knee injuries and other niggling issues, Lawrence has had more exposure to the first team this season and has been a useful player when fit.
But with the ex-Derby County captain’s mobility clearly impacted, Rangers fans are now awaiting an update on the 30-year-old after he went off during the Premier Sports Cup win over Motherwell.
Having injured his thigh after taking on a shot at Hampden, Rangers can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries and now Wales have potentially dropped a clue over Tom Lawrence’s status.
Wales manager snubs Ibrox star
That’s because Welsh manager Craig Bellamy has once again snubbed Rangers star Tom Lawrence ahead of the upcoming international break.
Lawrence has not been included in Bellamy’s 26-man squad for Wales’ final UEFA Nations League clashes against Türkiye (A) and Iceland (H).
Lawrence had described ‘refreshing’ conversations with Bellamy earlier in the season with regards a potential recall to the Wales set-up.
This comes amid chatter of bust-up between Lawrence and former Wales manager Rob Page, something alluded to by England legend Wayne Rooney a number of years ago.
“The Wales manager and I agreed that it’s best for me to stay here and train and then when October comes we’ll have a discussion and see what’s the what then,” Lawrence said in September.
“I’ve never met the manager before so it was refreshing to have a conversation with him and we’ll see what the future brings
“It’s good that I can have that relationship with the manager. That’s the main thing.”
But despite Tom Lawrence enjoying increased exposure to the Rangers first-team, the playmaker continues to miss out on a place in Bellamy’s Wales team.
Whether that’s because Wales have better options – as Bellamy suggested in October – or because Lawrence is injured will become clear in the coming days.
“It’s just the numbers,” Bellamy said when asked why Lawrence wasn’t in his October international squad. “I have a certain amount of numbers I can go to.
“Tom is definitely a player I really like, but at this present moment there’s one or two players I’ve put in those positions.”
For the time being, the situation brings into question the international credentials of Tom Lawrence.
The midfielder hasn’t been capped for his country since March 2021 and certainly isn’t getting any younger.
