Rangers injury blow as Gerrard admits 23y/o is ‘major doubt’ for Galatasaray clash
Steven Gerrard has said that Cedric Itten is unlikely to be fit for Rangers’ Europa League clash with Galatasaray on Thursday.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Gers manager revealed that the Swiss forward is a ‘major doubt’ for the game as he is struggling with a knee problem.
Gerrard also confirmed that Joe Aribo and Kemar Roofe won’t be fit for the match, but are both ‘progressing well’.
The manager added that Ryan Jack and Brandon Barker are back in full training after periods of absence.
Itten scored his first goals in a Rangers shirt on Sunday, netting a brace in the 5-1 win over Motherwell after being introduced from the bench.
How much of a blow will this be for Rangers?
It certainly is a shame.
It’s taken the Switzerland international a little time to get up and running for the Gers, but he looked incredibly sharp on Sunday, and his brace was superbly taken.
With that in mind, news of his probable absence will disappoint a lot of fans, but the chances are that Steven Gerrard would have opted for Alfredo Morelos to lead the line from outset anyway.
Still, as he showed at Fir Park, he can be a great option from the bench, and having him around would have been a big boost in a clash that promises to be tightly fought affair.
The Istanbul side travel to Glasgow boasting an unbeaten start to their season, similar to Gerrard’s men.
Perhaps most concerning, however, is the fact that this is the second knock that Itten has picked up already during his short time in Glasgow.
The worry will be that he is too injury prone to ever really build up the momentum he needs to be a proper success in Glasgow, although Swiss journalist Hanspeter Kuenzler has assured Ibrox News that it has never been an issue before.
In other Rangers news, Report – Rangers stance on key Ibrox talent detailed amid interest from PL club.