Jermain Defoe still appears to be struggling with an injury after he missed out on the Rangers squad for the 1-0 win over St Johnstone on Wednesday.
Since recovering from an early-season hamstring problem, Defoe had been an ever-present in Steven Gerrard’s Premiership matchday 20 up until the trip to Easter Road to face Hibernian last week.
The Gers manager hadn’t raised any concerns about the veteran’s fitness at his pre-match press conference, but Sky Sports commentator Ian Crocker asserted during the game that Defoe had been unavailable due to a muscle issue.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s clash with the Saints, Gerrard spoke about both Scott Arfield and Nikola Katic in an injury update but Defoe once again went unmentioned.
It looked likely that he would be available again given that an exclusive RangersTV interview with him was released on matchday.
Yet, when the starting XI and substitutes were confirmed, he was nowhere to be seen.
With Alfredo Morelos missing the game through suspension, it’s particularly unlikely that Defoe would have been omitted for tactical reasons and so it appears that he’s still carrying a knock of some kind.
The lack of official word on the injury is strange but supporters will no doubt be hoping the 38-year-old is passed fit for the trip to Hamilton on Sunday, so the manager has more attacking options at his disposal.
Defoe is set to be out of contract in the summer and fans recently suggested on social media that the club should make him a quirky offer.
