If Philippe Clement had any hair, he would have been pulling it out talking about Rangers injury problems in every press conference.
It is a list that has been full of key players and frequently hit double figures since the manager arrived in October.
Usually, Philippe Clement is open about who is and who isn’t available, but ahead of Rangers Scottish Cup final with Celtic, he hasn’t quite been as open as usual.
Philippe Clement could pull Rangers injury surprise
On top of the players who have been ruled out for the season, there seems to be a few who have been struggling with niggles in the last couple of weeks.
With one game of the season left and a trophy up for grabs, the Gers boss might be willing to make a sacrifice or two:
“I don’t want to say too much about the squad. This is the final and decisive game so maybe we need to take some risks with players that we normally don’t because there is a season coming after.
“I don’t want to get into who could start or not. I did it all season, every three days with you guys. This one I don’t want to speak too much about that.
“I am not a doctor so we can’t speak about injections but all the players want to play this game. Some want to go really on the edge to be there, to play that game. We are going to need to make smart decisions without taking too much risk.
“I need to see training tomorrow, that is the final moment to show you’re fit enough to play some minutes. Otherwise if you didn’t train all week it’s impossible to play some minutes in the game.”
Who could return for Rangers at Hampden?
There will be no miraculous recovery for Danilo, Oscar Cortes or Connor Goldson, however, there are a few key figures who might be back.
Abdallah Sima featured in the chaotic season finale against Hearts and, with another week’s training, Philippe Clement must consider taking a risk on a player who can be a match-winner.
Rabbi Matondo was said to be close to a return a couple of weeks ago and it may be that the manager hasn’t risked him with the final being prioritised.
The midfield has a full compliment and with Steve Clarke confirming that Ryan Jack is fit, there could be a final Rangers appearance for a player who has fond memories of Hampden.
The biggest area of concern is in defence.
Ridvan Yilmaz has made a couple of appearances since returning from injury and Borna Barisic might make the bench as the days tick away on his Rangers career.
Ben Davies has been solid since coming in from the cold, however, if Leon Balogun or John Souttar can make the starting lineup, there will be a lot more confidence in Rangers getting a result.
Half of Clement’s squad might be walking wounded, but what risks the manager takes could be decisive in how Rangers season ends.
