Cyriel Dessers injury update emerges as Rangers star forced off vs Viktoria Plzen
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers suffered an injury in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen.
The game on Tuesday ended 2-1 in favour of Plzen, but Gers ended up going through to the play-offs on aggregate after an impressive 3-0 win in the first leg at Ibrox.
Lyall Cameron scored for the visitors at the Doosan Arena while Rafiu Durosinmi and Svetozar Markovic found the back of the net for the Czech side.
Dessers helped off the pitch with suspected knee injury
Dessers, who performed exceptionally in the first leg, started the second leg but could only last 54 minutes before he was taken off for Danilo.
The Nigerian could complete just eight passes as he cut an isolated figure in the final third for the Ibrox outfit.
He even failed to register a single shot on goal and had very few touches in the opposition penalty area.
- Dessers finished as the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership last season with 18 goals
- He has been linked with an Ibrox exit this summer
- The forward bagged a goal and an assist against Viktoria in the first leg
PLZ Soccer shared an image of the 30-year-old in agonising pain on the field of play.
Dessers is seen holding his right knee and his other hand is on his head, as it certainly looks like a pretty bad setback.
Rangers may push to sign a new striker after Dessers’ injury
Dessers’ injury could accelerate Rangers’ pursuit of a new striker this summer.
While the 30-year-old played and excelled last season, there remain concerns about his durability.
With an unclear recovery timeline, potentially spanning weeks, Russell Martin faces pressure to bolster the attack to maintain Gers’ competitiveness in the Scottish Premiership and Europe.
Dessers’ 29 goals in all competitions last season made him vital, but his absence could expose a lack of depth, especially with Hamza Igamane’s unclear future.
Martin’s emphasis on a focal point striker suggests urgency to secure a proven goal-scorer.
This injury could force Rangers to act swiftly before the transfer window closes to ensure they have the firepower to win crucial games.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.