Ryan Jack’s injury may be a blow to Scotland, but the call-off is great news for Rangers.
It’s not the best thing for Steven Gerrard’s midfield enforcer to be injured. Jack of course had to pull-out of the Scotland squad yesterday with a knee-injury, ruling him out of the Nations League matches against Albania and Israel.
Jack only has two Scotland appearances to his name, and is struggling to make a mark in the squad. Alex McLeish has, however, shown good faith in the Rangers man this season.
Despite the injury, however, he’s only just back from what was a nasty calf injury. The midfielder has only just came back into the fold at Ibrox, and is looking the part once again.
Ahead of what’s going to be a hectic Winter schedule, it’s vital he isn’t burnt out. So long as the knee injury he currently occupies isn’t too severe, dropping out is a great decision for the club.
A huge schedule
Huge matches against Hibernian, Hearts, and Celtic all occur in the month of December. It’s going to be a period of fixtures where Gerrard is going to need all of his top stars fit. Jack certainly falls into that category.
The matches against Albania and Israel are going to be high-tempo clashes. Despite the fact Jack has featured in fast matches already since returning from injury, needless ones like this aren’t welcome at such a busy period.
Nobody wishes the former Aberdeen captain anything but the best on international duty, but Rangers need him for what will be a huge month.
These days, Jack is one of the first names on the team-sheet. Gerrard has taken to him just as much as anyone else in the Gers squad, and once stated he was “jealous” of one of Jack’s performances.
The extent of Jack’s knee injury has yet to be revealed. Given some of the call-offs already, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was minimal. Scotland could certainly have used Jack’s engine given the number of call-offs, but they’ll fancy their chances regardless.
For Jack, it’s imperative he gets his knee sorted over the next week or so. Rangers can’t afford to lose their best midfielder ahead of a season-defining schedule. Him missing international duty is a positive move for Rangers if not for Jack personally.
