Why Cammy Devlin's Rangers injury blow is far greater than many realise

Cammy Devlin has had his fair share of Rangers critics this season.

The 28-year-old central midfielder followed Derek McInnes from Tynecastle to Ibrox this summer.

A free transfer after his Hearts contract expired, to get a player of his experience and proven Scottish Premiership quality for nothing looked a huge bargain.

However, whether it be his red card against Jablonec or the fact he's been unable to carve out a key starting role yet, the Australian has taken some flak.

McInnes has confirmed Devlin will be missing for at least six weeks ahead of Saturday's clash with Kilmarnock with a hamstring strain.

Some may not see this as a huge deal, but his underlying numbers for Gers this season prove that it is.

Where Cammy Devlin ranks amongst SPFL rivals this season

McInnes does have a handful of options in central midfield that he can continue calling upon in Devlin's absence.

Dan Neil is starting to kick-on at Ibrox, Nicolas Raskin remains a top-class player at this level, whilst Tochi Chukwuani and Vanja Dragojevic provide solid depth.

Where Devlin fits in amongst all of this competition remains for him to define as the season progresses.

But as seen in his numbers via FotMob, the Socceroos star has actually been playing better for Rangers this season than many may credit him for.

His 2.96 interceptions per game rank him in the top 3.6 percentile of all Scottish Premiership central midfielders in 2026-27.

Meanwhile, his 6.99 recoveries, 83.8 touches and 80 per cent aerial duels won place him in the top 8.9 and 10.7 percentiles.

Devlin's 56.1 successful passes, 88.2 per cent pass accuracy, 7.25 duels won and 8.60 defensive contributions per game all rank amongst the best in his position too.

So, whilst he may have fleeted in and out of McInnes' side and has had some poor cameos here and there, Devlin is doing some very good work.

But for what game will Rangers get the first chance of seeing him back involved in a matchday squad?

What game is closest to Devlin's injury return timeline?

As aforementioned, McInnes confirmed on Thursday that Devlin would be out for at least six weeks.

That means that from 8 October, his earliest return to fitness date would be Thursday 19 November.

Gers play St Mirren on 7 October before a two-week international break hits, with their first game back being on 21 November away at Motherwell.

So, it would seem that Rangers' trip to Fir Park next month will be the target return match for Devlin.