Danny Röhl said the international break had left Rangers with a growing injury list, with three first-team regulars possibly sidelined for the rest of the year.
John Souttar was hurt in the warm-up of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Denmark at Hampden Park and missed the 4-2 win that secured Scotland’s place at next summer’s tournament. Centre-back Derek Cornelius, on loan from Marseille, was forced off in the first half of Canada’s game against Venezuela after already missing the previous match with a muscle problem. Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore, 18, also picked up a knock playing for England U19s.
Youngster Bailey Rice, who has not been part of Röhl’s first-team plans, will need surgery, while Portugal U21 striker Youssef Chermiti and back-up goalkeeper Liam Kelly also sustained knocks on international duty.
Ahead of Saturday’s Scottish Premiership match against Livingston at Ibrox, where Clinton Nsiala and Emmanuel Fernandez — currently out of favour — could be considered, Röhl outlined the squad’s issues. “It’s not so easy. Today I need a list because we have a lot of problems,” he said. “I think at first I’m very happy, very proud of my players, what they achieved. I think this is outstanding. It’s always fantastic to see this [on international duty]. But then on the other side, before the international break we had nearly no injuries.”
On specific players, Röhl added: “John [Souttar] out with a muscle injury. We have to wait [to see] how long. Mikey [Moore] is out with a muscle injury. We have to wait to see how long. It’s difficult to say at the moment. Derek [Cornelius] has to go to a specialist with a muscle injury. Could be a serious one, a big one. Bailey [Rice] got an injury last week in training, a muscle injury and will be out for longer. Youssef [Chermiti] is a big question mark, he got a kick. Liam [Kelly] is a big question mark.”
He also updated on returning players: “Kieran [Dowell], Dujon [Sterling] and Rabbi [Matondo] made a huge step in the training process, but they need minimum one more bigger game before they are really part of the squad. And Findlay [Curtis] is back after a small injury.”
Asked for timelines, Röhl said he hoped John and Mikey might be available by the end of December but cautioned that muscle injuries vary: “It could be 25 days, it could be 40 days. You never know.” He suggested Derek might be out around four to five weeks but acknowledged it could be longer. “Yeah and Bailey, today [Friday] is Bailey’s surgery, it’s a big one.”
Reflecting on international duty, Röhl said: “This is football and it happens. I know this because I worked for both sides. For the national team, it’s important to have the players. It’s always an honour to play for your own country. As a club manager, you always want to protect your players, that’s what it is, football happens. I had some good conversations the last couple of days with some other players. I think it’s now also an opportunity to step up. It’s about solutions and hopefully we have more good solutions.”