Rangers medics have been left "genuinely concerned" by an injury to a key player, according to a worrying update from journalist Keith Jackson.
Rangers transfer & injury news
The Gers are back in action on Saturday evening, taking on St Johnstone in a Scottish League Cup second round clash at Ibrox. Away from the on-field action, Philippe Clement's side continue to be linked with new signings, on top of the nine new faces who have already arrived in the summer transfer window.
Albion Rrahmani is one name who has been mentioned as a potential addition at Rangers before the end of the month, with the 23-year-old forward currently plying his trade at Rapid Bucharest. He has also won four caps for Kosovo, highlighting an element of pedigree at international level, too.
Meanwhile, Mali emerging talent Mahamadou Diarra has also been linked with a summer move to the Gers, with contact thought to have been made with the player's agent.
There are also injury problems for Clement to contend with at the moment, however, not least to Ridvan Yilmaz, who picked up a serious-looking thigh problem in the midweek defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League.
Journalist drops concerning Rangers injury update
Speaking on the Daily Record Sport's Hotline Show [via Ibrox News], Jackson claimed that Ridvan Yilmaz faces months on the sidelines through injury for Rangers, in a huge blow for Clement.
"I’m being told the injury is so bad, the swelling is so bad around the thigh, he’s still not been able to get a scan to find out the full extent.
"The medical department are genuinely concerned by this, there’s a feeling it could be weeks going into months, possibly Autumn before Yilmaz will be in any position to make a comeback."
This would be an absolutely huge setback, both for Yilmaz and Rangers, assuming the left-back's injury does end up being as serious as it is feared to be.
The 23-year-old has started all four games in the Scottish Premiership and Champions League so far this season, playing every minute until he went off injured during the week, showing that he is a key figure under Clement. His manager has described him as a "fighter", clearly valuing him, and Besiktas writer Aaron Armstrong has described the traits the Gers boss will now be missing.
“I’d say there isn’t really a well-known full back that’s identical to him. For me the thing with Rıdvan is that we expect young full back talents to be attacking, especially those who are pacey and have high work rates. But he’s firstly a very good defender, he’s never out of his depth and always aware. He has improved his crossing a lot from last year and he has good fundamentals like vision and reading the play."
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The hope is that Yilmaz's layoff is as short as possible, but this update does not bode well, hampering Rangers' hopes of league glory this season in the process.
