Two set to return for Rangers as fixture list piles the pressure on Philippe Clement

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Rangers have ordered radio silence across their communication channels with Philippe Clement’s future still uncertain.

The manager seemed certain to have his tenure cut short after a disastrous defeat to Queen’s Park and yet nothing has been announced.

The squad might not be at full strength, but it should still have been enough for Ibrox last week, although Rangers will be buoyed by the return of three players for the trip to Tynecastle.

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Two to return as Rangers get welcome injury boost

If the Gers boss is true to his word, with no mid-week fixtures, Clement should be able to count on Leon King, after recovering from concussion, and Danilo to face Hearts as well as having a fully fit Ridvan Yilmaz, who only returned to training last week.

Speaking last week, Clement gave an expected timeline for the walking wounded:

“That will still be a few weeks. We have a few ones who will come back short term,” Clement said when asked about Oscar Cortes specifically.

“So, like I said, Danilo will be back normally next week. I expect a week after Dujon Sterling and Leon Balogun to be back. Ridvan is back already in training. Leon King is also back in training after his conclusion. And the others, it’s a little bit longer.

“I don’t want to put one week on it because I don’t want to force my medical staff into a corner.”

What impact has Danilo’s absence had on Rangers?

Rangers have a difficult fixture list on the horizon and Clement will need all the good players that he can get to face the likes of Hearts, Kilmarnock and Celtic, all away from home.

There was no excuse against Queen’s Park, but not being able to rotate and not having any depth has been a huge factor for some of the poor performances this season.

Specifically, Danilo’s absence has meant that Hamza Igamane has had to play in a deeper role and has looked like he needs a rest for the last few games.

The endeavour is there, however, the sharpness that made him look so dangerous previously hasn’t.

As with Cortes, the sight of Danilo would not only be a welcome one for the manager, but it would give fans one less thing to complain about.