Rangers centre-back shortlist: Who Derek McInnes could sign after Ben Godfrey injury blow

Ben Godfrey is set for a number of weeks on the Rangers sideline.

The 28-year-old was forced to leave the match against Dundee United just after the hour mark last Friday.

At the time, there was no concrete information on the type or severity of his injury.

Injuries and fitness issues have been a consistent part of Godfrey's career, and he's not played more than 12 games in all competitions for any single club since the 2023-24 season.

Nevertheless, Rangers decided to take a gamble on him this summer and signed him on a season-long loan deal from Atalanta.

Unfortunately though, injury has already reared it's ugly head for Godfrey at Ibrox, and now Derek McInnes knows how long he's going to be without him for.

What Rangers game could Ben Godfrey return for?

As revealed in a report from The Scottish Sun on Monday, Godfrey has been ruled out for the next four weeks.

He underwent scans to discover the cause and extent of the problem, with it now being revealed that he's indeed picked up a hamstring issue.

As a result, he'll now be absent for both of Rangers' Europa League qualification ties against Jagiellonia.

Rangers are away to Aberdeen on 30 August, so perhaps if he's slightly ahead of schedule in his recovery he might target this fixture as his return, but if not, then it could be Falkirk on 2 September.

The report also claims that Rangers will now look to intensify their search for a new centre-back, but who might that be?

Rangers could be back in play for Scotland international

Ibrox News had covered reports suggesting that Rangers were pretty much out of the running to sign Scott McKenna this summer.

Dinamo Zagreb's reported hefty demands for the 29-year-old appeared to have put any deal on ice, but now Gers might just be willing to stump up the cash.

Godfrey's injury may only keep him out for a month or so, but if Rangers chiefs feel as though this could become the story of his season, then a further addition may not be a bad idea at all.

McKenna is experienced and proven across a host of different European leagues including Scotland, and may even prove to be an upgrade on Godfrey.

Elsewhere, now that Olwethu Makhanya has signed, Rangers haven't really been linked with any other central defenders, but they're active shoppers in all kinds of European markets so a new target could soon be identified.

With the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) having been going for a number of weeks now, perhaps they could look to target another player like Makhanya who is already match fit and ready to hit the ground running in place of Godfrey...