John Souttar injury twist emerges at Rangers ahead of Pittodrie clash v Aberdeen
John Souttar appears unlikely to start for Rangers in their clash with Aberdeen at Pittodrie, according to Chris Jack.
The Ranger Review journalist reported on Wednesday (30 October) that the Scotland international is unlikely to feature from the start in Wednesday night’s clash after Philippe Clement dropped a new fitness update.
Clement admitted that both Souttar and Tom Lawrence were available once again having missed the win over St Mirren last time out, but it was not yet clear whether they could play a full 90 minutes.
As a result of that, it seems unlikely the centre-back will be thrown straight back into the fold, with Neraysho Kasanwirjo backed to get the nod as the Scotsman’s replacement next to Leon Balogun.
What has happened to John Souttar at Rangers and Ibrox?
It would be a massive blow to Rangers and Clement if Souttar isn’t able to start Wednesday night’s clash, especially given the importance of this game at this stage of the season.
Rangers need to win at Pittodrie to keep their increasingly slim title hopes alive. If the Dons potentially Celtic move nine points clear of the Gers at this stage of the season, not only will all hopes of a Premiership title be dashed, but Clement could pay with his job.
Undoubtedly, the Light Blues’ chances of claiming all three points would be better with Souttar in the starting XI. The Scotsman has his critics, but he is probably the Gers’ most consistent defender at this stage.
Robin Propper simply cannot start having looked all at see in the Premiership in the early stages of his Rangers career. Kasanwirjo is a better option, but fans haven’t seen much of the Feyenoord loanee at centre-back.
Clement is paid the big bucks to make these sorts of calls, but you have to wonder if he would be better off risking Souttar even if he is only 75 to 80 per cent fit.
In other Rangers news, Vaclav Cerny has been told that he looks like a “little boy” when he plays in the Scottish Premiership
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