Rangers star to have injury assessed today amid doubts surrounding clash v Benfica
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has confirmed Ryan Jack is a ‘doubt’ for Thursday’s Europa League clash against Benfica.
Jack has made 17 appearances in all competitions for the Gers this season, only missing four games in September with a calf injury.
Speaking in his pre-Benfica press conference, Gerrard said that he won’t know if Jack is able to play against the Portuguese side until ‘later today’ (Wednesday).
He said, “Ryan Jack is a doubt, we won’t know until later today if he’s available. Zungu will also be missing and we hope to have him back in a week.”
With Bongani Zungu also missing Thursday’s game it leaves Gerrard with a problem in his midfield but the strength and depth that Rangers possess should mean he can deal with the absence of Jack and Zungu.
Glen Kamara, Scott Arfield, Steven Davis and Joe Aribo should all be fit and are more than capable of filling in for Jack in the heart of the Gers midfield.
The 28-year-old started in Rangers’ 4-0 win over Aberdeen at the weekend and was withdrawn after playing 56 minutes.
At the time it didn’t seem that Jack had anything wrong with him which means he may have picked up this fresh knock in training over the last few days.
While Gerrard has a slight concern over his midfield things look a lot worse for his Benfica counterpart Jorge Jesus.
Nine Benfica first-team players are set to miss Thursday’s clash due to injuries, suspensions and positive COVID tests, according to a report in Portuguese outlet Record.
A win against Benfica would be a huge step in qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Europa League and Gers fans will be hoping for an easy win against a depleted side.
In other Rangers news, Adrian Durham has slammed Celtic as he gave his verdict on Scottish Premiership title race.