Rangers given perfect opportunity to cash in on duo as shock announcement made
Rangers may be able to speed up the exits of two out-of-favour players after they received surprise call-ups to international duty.
The Light Blues may not have had the best season either on or off the pitch at Ibrox, but they’re still a club who employ a plethora of international stars who will be heading across the globe next week.
Of the players who featured against Fenerbahce in last week’s Europa League last-16 victory, seven are likely to meet up with their respective nations, leaving Barry Ferguson with a depleted training squad.
Although that total will include Rangers regulars this season such as Vaclav Cerny, Hamza Igamane and Cyriel Dessers, two players very much on the outer at Ibrox have also been given a chance to impress.
Lawrence and Matondo call-ups will raise eyebrows at Rangers
While some nations with Ibrox representatives are still to name their squads for the March fixtures, the likes of Rangers and Scotland stalwart John Souttar are, as expected, set to travel this month.
| Rangers Player(s) | National Team |
| John Souttar, Liam Kelly | Scotland |
| Ross McCausland | Northern Ireland |
| Rabbi Matondo (out on loan), Tom Lawrence | Wales |
Wales have also included two Gers players – Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence – as part of their group to face Kazakhstan and North Macedonia, with Lawrence receiving his first call-up in over four years.
While Matondo was sent out on loan to Hannover 96 in January in January and has somewhat hit the ground running, Lawrence remains at Ibrox, albeit on the periphery and making just six appearances in 2025.
Rangers will hope Wales duo turn heads away from Ibrox
Matondo and Lawrence are two players who have clearly run out of time and lives at Rangers, making 30 appearances in all competitions between them this season, with 17 starts and seven goals combined.
Neither Welshman’s long-term future is decided though, with Matondo playing just four times since scoring on his Hannover debut as the Bundesliga.2 side decide whether to trigger their option-to-buy.
Lawrence, meanwhile, has remained in and around the Bears’ first-team since an injury in October which ruled him out for nine weeks, and with his contract heading towards expiry, an Ibrox exit looks inevitable.
The international break therefore gives two lesser-spotted Rangers players a chance to impress away from the pressure of Ibrox, and higher-ups in Govan will hope they can stake a claim for a summer move.