BBC pundit worried for Rangers star Kemar Roofe after incident in win v St Johnstone
James McFadden admits Kemar Roofe’s injury is a blow for Rangers as the forward was forced off the pitch against St Johnstone on Wednesday night.
It was a concerning sight during the Gers’ 2-0 victory on as Roofe was forced off the pitch with yet another injury after 16 minutes and was replaced by Cyriel Dessers, who would open the scoring 12 minutes later.
With much of the season missed through injury already, McFadden has raised his concerns over the 30-year-old striker’s fresh setback but admitted that it was good to see his replacement, Dessers, on the scoresheet.
“It’s a worry for Kemar Roofe because he has worked so hard to get himself back into a condition to play,” McFadden said on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene on Wednesday (20 December).
“Coming off so early is a blow for him. But with Dessers coming on, getting the goal and an assist, playing a huge part, maybe with a run of games he will be able to get better in front of goal.
“It is a blow, but when you have someone who can come on and have that impact, you have to deal with that as a club.”
End of an era
Since moving to Ibrox in 2020, Roofe has made almost a century of appearances while scoring 38 goals and assisting a further seven. He has been a true servant at Rangers but it seems that his time at the club could be coming to an abrupt end.
Due to a plague of injuries, the Jamaican forward has managed just seven starts in all competitions this season and Clement could be growing frustrated with the inability to trust the striker not to get injured.
Although it turned out to be a good substitution, with Dessers the one to open the scoring against St. Johnstone, the Belgian manager will always want to save his substitutions for further into the match to help see out a win or complete a comeback – it seems like a waste otherwise.
Despite his time spent on the sidelines, Roofe is still a valued member of the Rangers squad. His experience is invaluable, especially to the younger attackers in Abdallah Sima and Ross McCausland.
With his current contract coming to a close at the end of the season, it is important that the players get absolutely every drop of wisdom out of him before then, and the medical staff help him bounce back before the harder periods later in the season.
Roofe still has an important role to play at the club this season. But he will not be able to help from the sidelines.
In other Rangers news, a BBC Sport pundit hit out at an “absolutely ridiculous” decision in the Gers’ win over St Johnstone.