Philippe Clement, the manager of Rangers, has promised to break the curse of injuries that have plagued the team in recent years at Ibrox.
However, even the Belgian’s “magic stick” is struggling to drive out the spectres of Rangers’ ongoing mishandling of the team and transfer money over the past few years.
Unfortunately, Rangers’ injury issues have continued well into the former Club Brugge manager’s career, dating back years before Philippe Clement took over at Ibrox.
Although there are questions about players like Tom Lawrence and John Souttar before the trip to Aberdeen, the circumstances surrounding a single £17.5 million foursome still baffle fans.
*Transfer values derived from Rangers’ 2016–present transfer history
Yilmaz Ridvan (£5m)
Ridvan Yilmaz is back in training, if not back in contention with the first team squad, according to Rangers boss Philippe Clement.
In 2022, the Turkish international moved from Besiktas to Rangers for £5 million, but every time the 23-year-old has started, an injury has occurred.
Ridvan hasn’t been seen since suffering a major injury and being carried off after misfiring on a shot during the Champions League qualification loss to Dynamo Kyiv.
Although Clement maintains that Ridvan is progressing, he hinted that the team will be taking their time reintegrating him into the squad.
We believe the left-back will return to the team on matchdays before to the international break in November.
Prior to the FCSB match, Clement stated, “(Ridvan) is not yet in the selection because Ridvan trained with the first team for the second time but came out with a serious injury.”
“He’s in a positive way, but it’s too fast for him to put him in a game.”
Danilo (£6 million)
Danilo has got to be among Rangers’ most disappointing acquisitions.
We all anticipated great things from the Eredivisie champion after Rangers announced the £6 million purchase of the Brazilian striker from Feyenoord.
However, Danilo’s 16 months at Glasgow have been marred by injury; two consecutive knee problems and a face fracture have limited his exposure to the first team.
Meanwhile, Rangers’ attacking options have been limited for the past two seasons due to Danilo’s lack of playing time, which has put additional pressure on Cyriel Dessers.
Given the severity of his prior injuries, Rangers boss Clement is certain that the squad will be wrapping Dani in cotton wool once he returns to the Rangers colours and scores for the B side.
Clement maintains that the attacker will be “important” this season even though the Brazilian “still has a long way to go.”
“I attended the second team game yesterday,” Clement remarked. Watching the young men and players, and seeing Danilo return score a goal.
He still has a long way to go in terms of getting back into form.
“Those are also good points that fans aren’t seeing right now.
“Yes, that is typical since Dani still has a ways to go, but he will also play a significant role in achieving the goals we have set for the next few months.”
Matondo Rabbi (£2.5m)
We were expected to have repelled Premier League and citywide competition when Rangers signed Rabbi Matondo in 2022.
Despite Matondo’s lightning-fast speed and erratic skill with the ball, the winger hasn’t played enough since joining the team.
Matondo, who cost £2.5 million to sign from FC Schalke, has had a string of injury issues that have hampered his progress in a number of ways.
The winger has just not contributed enough when he has played, and Rabbi’s approach shows a lack of application, confidence, and responsibility.
There have been moments, of course, but Rangers haven’t seen nearly enough for the money, and the winger hasn’t been seen since he injured his hamstring during Celtic’s humiliation in the Old Firm.
Matondo recently hinted at his impending comeback on social media after receiving an eight-week prognosis at the beginning of September.
Rabbi won’t do anything until after the international break, and even then, it’s wise to have low expectations.
Rangers may be in danger of failing because they refused to allow the winger to move on loan to the English Championship prior to this most recent injury setback.
Oscar Cortes (£4 million)
Oscar Cortes is a clear indication that Rangers’ chronic injury issues are still very much present.
Despite just being 20 years old, the Colombian prospect was signed with the intention of making an immediate impact, but two catastrophic injuries have prevented him from doing so.
The first might have been a warning sign because it was sustained seven games into a loan move last season.
However, Rangers acquired Oscar Cortes from RC Lens on a permanent loan-to-buy deal for £4 million, and the winger was injured on the first day of the new season.
Rangers has not disclosed how long the Colombian’s recuperation will take, and an impact injury sustained during training has now placed the winger out indefinitely after he staggered back into the first team.
Nils Koppen maintains that Rangers are “looking into” Cortes’ issues despite the deal being under intense scrutiny and that the injury-plagued attacker has no definite return date.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE
