Rangers manager Phillipe Clement is seen during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Rangers FC and Fotbal Club FCSB at I…Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Philippe Clement to take time introducing £17.5m quartet who could flip Rangers’ season
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has pledged to rid Ibrox of the injury curse that has long held the club back in recent seasons.
But even the Belgian’s ‘magic stick’ is having problems banishing the ghosts of Rangers’ chronic squad and transfer budget mismanagement of the last few years.
Rangers’ injury problems stretch back years before Philippe Clement was handed the reins at Ibrox and, unfortunately, they have persisted well into the ex-Club Brugge manager’s tenure.
But whilst there are doubts surrounding the likes of John Souttar and Tom Lawrence ahead of the visit to Aberdeen, the situation surrounding one £17.5m quartet continues to perplex supporters.
*Transfer valuations taken from Rangers transfer history 2016 to present
READ MORE: Rangers fans question controversial decision to shift Ibrox supporters
Ridvan Yilmaz of Glasgow Rangers is stretchered off during the UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round between Glasgow Rangers FC and Dynamo Kyi…
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Ridvan Yilmaz (£5m)
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has at least confirmed that Ridvan Yilmaz is back in training, if not back in contention with the first-team squad.
The Turkish international signed a £5m deal to move to Rangers from Besiktas in 2022 but every time the 23-year-old has gotten started, injury has struck.
Sustaining a serious injury and being stretchered off after mishitting a shot in in the Champions League qualifying defeat to Dynamo Kyiv, Ridvan hasn’t been seen since.
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Clement insists Ridvan is making positive steps but suggested that the club will be taking their time introducing him back into the team.
We suspect that the left-back will be back in a match day squad before November’s international break.
“(Ridvan) is not yet in the selection because Ridvan trained now the second time with the first team but he came out a serious injury,” Clement said ahead of the FCSB clash.
“It’s too fast for him to put him in a game but he’s in a positive way.“
Danilo (£6m)
As far as disappointing signings go, Danilo has got to be right up there for Rangers.
Post-Alfredo Morelos, Rangers announced the £6m signing of the Brazilian striker from Feyenoord and we all expected big things from the Eredivisie champion.
But injury has plagued Danilo’s 16 months in Glasgow, with a facial fracture and two separate knee injuries ensuring his exposure to the first team has been minimal.
At the same time, Danilo’s lack of game time has heaped the pressure on Cyriel Dessers with Rangers’ attacking options limited for the last two seasons.
Back in Rangers colours scoring for the B team, such has been the gravity of previous injuries Rangers manager Clement is clear the club will be wrapping Dani up in cotton wool.
The Brazilian ‘still has a long way to go’ but Clement insists the striker will be ‘important’ this season.
“I was yesterday at the second team game,” said Clement. “Watching the players, watching the young guys, watching Danilo back scoring a goal.
“Getting back in shape, he still has a long way to go.
“Those are also positive points that for the moment fans don’t see.
“Yes that’s normal because Dani still has a way to go but he’s going to be also important in that way on the things we want to achieve the next couple of months.”
Rabbi Matondo (£2.5m)
When Rangers signed Rabbi Matondo in 2022, we were supposed to have held off competition from the Premier League and from across the city.
But for all Matondo’s searing pace and inconsistent ability on the ball, the winger has quite simply not played enough since coming in through the door.
A £2.5m signing from FC Schalke, Matondo has struggled with a succession of injury problems which have interrupted his development in a number of ways.
When the winger has played, he has quite simply not contributed enough, with a lack of application, confidence and responsibility evident in Rabbi’s style.
There have been moments of course, but for the money paid Rangers haven’t seen anywhere near enough and the winger hasn’t been seen since damaging his hamstring in the Old Firm humbling at the hands of Celtic.
Given an eight-week prognosis at the start of September, Matondo recently teased his imminent return on social media.
Don’t expect anything from Rabbi until after the international break and even then, expectations are best kept to a minimum.
Something tells us Rangers might well be ruing refusing to let the winger go on loan to the English Championship before this latest injury blow.
Oscar Cortes (£4m)
If you need any evidence that Rangers’ long-standing injury problems aren’t quite a thing of the past, Oscar Cortes is a prime example.
The Colombian talent is only 20-years-old but was signed to make an immediate difference and has been unable to make any real impact due to two serious injuries.
The first, sustained seven games into a loan move last season, might’ve been a warning sign.
Nonetheless, Rangers signed a £4m loan-to-buy deal for Oscar Cortes to join from RC Lens permanently and on day one of the new season, the winger went off injured.
After stumbling back into first team, an impact injury in training has now ruled the winger out for an indefinite period of time with Rangers tight-lipped on how long the Colombian’s recovery will be.
With huge scrutiny on the deal, Nils Koppen insists Rangers are ‘looking into’ Cortes’s problems with no return date set for the injury plagued forward.
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