Rangers star Aribo will still miss Old Firm after updated Nigeria AFCON squad announced

Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo is still set to miss February's Old Firm tie after the release of an updated Nigeria African Cup of Nations squad list.

The London-born midfielder remains in Nigeria's updated squad list, posted by the Nigerian Football Federation on Instagram yesterday (Friday).

Meanwhile, Aribo's teammate Leon Balogun has been ruled out due to injury, giving fans hope he could return to the squad ahead of Rangers' huge clash with Celtic on 2 February.

The updated version of the squad still sees defender Calvin Bassey miss out with Balogun instead replaced by West Brom defender Semi Ajayi.

Big blow

Despite tweaks to the AFCON squad, Nigeria's retention of Aribo leaves Rangers boss van Bronckhorst in somewhat of a midfield dilemma ahead of February's clash with arch rivals Celtic.

The Nigerian midfielder has appeared in more games than any other player this season, featured 32 times in all competitions under both Steven Gerrard and his successor, van Bronckhorst.

The maestro has been a key figure this campaign as Rangers look to make it two consecutive Scottish Premiership titles on the bounce.

His six goals and four assists in the league have been hugely beneficial to the club and his performances have seen him linked with numerous clubs in the English Premier League.

This will be a huge miss for van Bronckhorst as he looks to deal a blow to nemeses Celtic in the Old Firm in February. Following Celtic's announcement of three Japanese players yesterday, the Gers could look to bolster their side even further to ensure Old Firm glory in a month's time.

In other Rangers news, a star defender could be in line for a new contract.