Rangers clash ends Cameron Carter-Vickers season with injury as source suggests Celtic defender will miss start of new campaign
Cameron Carter-Vickers’ season is over following the 1-0 win in the Scottish Cup against Rangers, having delayed surgery in order to feature in the Old Firm derby, The Times reports.
Now the American defender is facing up to four months out of action after the game at Hampden on Sunday (30 April), a source close to the player has told SBI Soccer in the US.
With the Hoops in line to claim a domestic treble over the remainder of the season Ange Postecoglou will necessarily be without the 25-year-old for the final meeting with the Light Blues at Ibrox on 13 May.
And with Michael Beale facing a summer rebuild to catch up with the Glasgow rivals, the recovery time for Carter-Vickers may keep him out at Parkhead into the new season which starts of 5 August.
Catch up
Centre-back has turned out to be a problem position for both Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale this season, with none of Ben Davies, Leon King or John Souttar able to properly replace Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey through a combination of form and injury.
Connor Goldson’s own absences have left Rangers looking shaky at the back and the manager is likely to have an eye on potential improvements in the summer window.
It appears that Postecoglou is now facing a long-term absence of his own, and while it hardly seems likely to have a major negative effect across what is left of the current campaign it could be a blow for the start of the next one.
What has proven to be a fairly dismal season at Ibrox has seen five Old Firm derbies pass without a win, and while the chances of a consolation in the final meeting have increased slightly with Carter-Vickers’ absence it won’t lift pressure on Beale much, although another defeat would increase it.
The work in the transfer market will be crucial now, and can’t come soon enough, but the Gers boss will be eager to start afresh after coming in nine points behind in the title race during the World Cup.
In other Rangers news, the exodus at the club has continued with another behind-the-scenes exit which has drawn a reaction from one official club partner.