Official Rangers partner issues multiple striker transfer request after Danilo ruled out long-term
Rangers need multiple strikers in January, whether permanently or on loan, now that Danilo has been ruled out for months, according to Heart & Hand.
The official Light Blues partner reacted via Twitter just before midnight on 12 December as it emerged that the Brazilian is going to need surgery on the knee ligament injury he suffered at Hearts last week (6 December), with the 24-year-old now set to be absent until April.
To Heart & Hand that leaves Philippe Clement so short of dependable options it is “untrue” and means he will need to increase his January plans to bring in attacking help next month.
Heart & Hand wrote: “Danilo being out for at least four months means we need strikers in January, even on loan. So short of bodies it’s untrue.”
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It is hard to escape that exact conclusion now that Cyriel Dessers looks to be the de facto first choice at Ibrox despite his struggles this season.
Danilo seems to have shown more than the Nigerian international since they both arrived in the summer, and the two have certainly looked more dangerous in front of goal than Sam Lammers.
Kemar Roofe is the most proven scorer in Clement’s squad but his fitness record is so poor he has become a virtual afterthought, and the manager certainly can’t pin his hopes on the Jamaica international.
Attention is clearly going to turn towards Lawrence Shankland even more than it already has done, but whether Rangers have the cash to make that a viable option remains to be seen, with Hearts unlikely to be falling over themselves to package off their captain to Ibrox.
Kevin van Veen has put himself in the frame as a possible low cost alternative, while even a free transfer return for Alfredo Morelos has been suggested.
One of those seems a more sensible option than the other but Clement probably has to cover all bases now if he is going to have a hope of overturning Celtic in the SPFL.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have opened the door more than once now with dropped points so despite the Rangers struggles this term the title is there for the taking, but that is likely to be beyond them if they can’t field anyone reliable up front.
In other Rangers news, Tom English was very upset by a “grim” incident at Ibrox.