If Rangers were in the market for a right-back already – James Tavernier is not getting any younger after all – then that Neraysho Kasanwirjo blow will only strengthen the demand for a January addition.
Philippe Clement confirmed that Kasanwirjo will be out ‘longer-term’ after suffering a knee issue on international duty with the Netherlands’ Under 21 side this week.
The Feyenoord loanee requires surgery, and there are serious concerns that his Rangers career has ground to a shuddering halt just as it was starting to pick up speed.
With Dujon Sterling struggling for regular minutes in recent months too, and with Clement keen to ease the burden on a now-33-year-old James Tavernier, suddenly the right-back area looks like a position crying out for investment.
And this is where Ryan Barnett comes in. Or, at least, he would have.
RangersNews exclusively reported in mid-November that Rangers were watching Wrexham flyer Barnett with a view to bringing him north of the border in the New Year.
Those hopes have now been dashed. Because, on Friday, Wrexham confirmed the news that everyone at the League One promotion chasers was waiting for, Barnett putting pen to paper on a new contract until the summer of 2027.
Wrexham’s Ryan Barnett will not replace Neraysho Kasanwirjo at Rangers
“I’m buzzing to get it sorted. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be at the moment,” a delighted Barnett told Wrexham’s official website. “The atmosphere around the club is brilliant and I’m glad it’s something I get to be a part of for even longer.
“It’s a proud and happy moment for myself and my family.”
Nominated for the League One Player of the Month award after a stellar October, Barnett is now on five assists for the season. His winner against Mansfield Town, meanwhile, was one Tavernier would have been proud to call his own; a fizzing strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Given his importance to Wrexham’s hopes of a third successive promotion, no wonder manager Phil Parkinson is breathing a sigh of relief as suitors Rangers, Preston North End and Stoke City are kept at arms’ length.
“We’re really pleased for Ryan’s new contract,” Parkinson smiles. “He’s adapted well to life in League One and fully deserves his new deal.”
- READ MORE: Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present
Doubts growing about James Tavernier’s future under Philippe Clement
Clement, at least, has confirmed that the Rangers bosses will hold talks in the coming weeks with regards to potential January deals. Amongst others, Rangers have been linked with FCSB playmaker Darius Olaru amid concerns over Tom Lawrence’s own fitness issues.
Tavernier, meanwhile, was left out of Rangers’ starting XI for only the second time in the Scottish Premiership this season with Clement preferring Sterling for Saturday’s delayed clash with Dundee United.
And Kris Boyd, speaking to the Scottish Sun, wonders if a remarkable Rangers career is approaching the end of the line.
“I really do wonder about Tavernier’s future. I don’t get the feeling Tav is the manager’s go-to right back any more,” the former Ibrox hitman explains.
“When Clement was asked about being without Kasanwirjo, he didn’t trot out the old line about having two quality right-backs already. He insisted they’d look at it in the January window and see what they could do.
“All that did was fuel the impression that Tavernier won’t be a first pick any more.
Maybe I’m late to the party in terms of acknowledging it could be the end for Tav. But, listening to the manager, this week was the first time I’d really thought it was heading that way.”
