Rangers sack decision may hit Michael Beale quickly after injury news at Ibrox
Michael Beale could end up closing in on the sack at Rangers even quicker than expected, with two key players Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin suffering new injuries.
Cantwell is expected to miss another three or four games after Beale revealed [15 September] he had injured his knee ahead of the trip to St Johnstone, while Raskin has now been ruled out of the Europa League clash with Real Betis with a calf injury [Sky Sports, 20 September].
Without two of his key players, Beale’s fight to save his job has just become even more difficult. He will be clinging to the hope that other members of the squad can step up to fill their places.
Prior to the game which Cantwell missed against St Johnstone, the Englishman and Raskin had started six of the seven games in all competitions together, with the only exception the rotated side sent out to face Greenock Morton in the Scottish League Cup.
The midfield duo had proved themselves as Beale’s go-to creative players and had proved they could be relied upon in a squad full of inconsistent performers, with plenty of the new arrivals failing to live up to expectations so far.
Now, though, both will be unavailable at least in the immediate future, and it will be up to the boss to determine the best way to cope without two key members of his starting squad.
It’s a situation Beale probably feels he can do without, as he faced immense pressure to perform for the Ibrox crowd who are beginning to grow restless following a slow start to the season, and particularly after losses to PSV and Celtic.
The boss could now turn to new signing Jose Cifuentes to cover for Raskin in midfield, as he has largely been waiting on the sidelines since his arrival from LAFC in the summer transfer window.
Similarly, Tom Lawrence was the man Beale turned to in an effort to replace Cantwell in the clash with St Johnstone, and he would have been happy with what he saw as Lawrence chipped in with an assist in the 2-0 victory.
Without his main men to turn to, the axe may start to loom over Beale’s head, and it will now be on him to prove his managerial prowess and win over the Ibrox crowd.
In other Rangers news, early team news has emerged ahead of the Real Betis clash.