Rangers defender Filip Helander to miss Annan Athletic clash
Rangers are unlikely to risk defender Filip Helander for the cup game against Annan Athletic, according to the Daily Record.
The 28-year-old last played for the Gers back in September and has been enduring a long-term injury since.
As Athletic have an artificial turf, Helander will not be risked on that one and he is not in the squad to face Borussia Dortmund either.
The report claims that the league clash against Motherwell is the first match back for him with the game scheduled for February 27.
Makes sense
Astro turfs are not the best for professional players as they play their games on natural grass.
Those surfaces are softer and the impact on the knees is not as bad as the ones on these artificial pitches.
Helander would not want his first game back to be on a surface like that as it would risk aggravating his injury.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst knows that he needs every player from now until the end of the season.
Losing to Celtic will now see them playing catch-up in the league and every game must be treated as a cup final.
Helander would certainly add much-needed solidity to this defence and hopefully could be John Souttar’s partner next season, assuming Connor Goldson leaves.
The “tremendous” centre-back not going to be available for Dortmund and that contest will be a real challenge to see where this Gers side is currently and how much they need to strengthen ahead of possibly playing in the Champions League next season.
In other Rangers news, the club could have signed a ‘Combative’ centre mid whose father was an Ibrox icon.