Rangers defender Goldson will be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
Rangers will be without Connor Goldson for the remainder of the season after the defender suffered a knee injury during training. The 31-year-old, who has been at Ibrox for six years and was instrumental in the club’s 2021 title win and subsequent run to the Europa League final, was engaged in a scuffle with a teammate, necessitating a scan that revealed a medial ligament injury. The vice-captain has been on the bench for the last two Rangers games, with Leon Balogun preferring to partner John Souttar.
Philippe Clement announced on Friday that he will be without a player he regards as “one of the leaders” for the next four Premier League games, but will remain in the dressing room to support the rest of the club. He will also miss the Scottish Cup final versus Celtic at Hampden Park on May 25. Rangers trail Celtic by three points, and Clement offered some “bad news” ahead of Sunday’s game against Kilmarnock.
The Belgian manager stated: “There was a duel at training on Wednesday, and a player fell on Connor’s knee, injuring him severely. “It’s a huge loss; he’s played 48 games this season and is one of the leaders. “He told me that he wanted to be in the dressing room to support the boys. “He tried but was unable to continue. He got an MRI and discovered a tear in his medial ligament, thus he will miss the rest of the season.
“He has played many good games; he is one of the team’s leaders, and he performs admirably in that capacity. And one of the first things he told me was that he wanted to be in the dressing room for the next few games, even though he couldn’t play, to encourage the boys. “So his dedication to this team and club is definitely a plus. “He can assist others with motivation, peacefulness, or anything they require, and he is a member of this group. “It is a wonderful indicator that someone wants to be there for the squad; nonetheless, it is unlucky.
“It’s been the story of the season. Players sustain injuries, but it is up to others to stand up. “He’ll be back for preseason, which he’s excited about because he missed practically all of preseason training last year, so it’s quite a marvel that he played so many games and stayed healthy for so long. This injury was pure bad luck.” Ridvan Yilmaz, a left back, and Ryan Jack, a midfielder, returned to training this week, although only the former has a chance of starting against Killie. Clement said, “We’ll see tomorrow. Ridvan may be, but Ryan is not yet. He’s too far away from it. “He’ll need more time than Ridvan.”
Clement is convinced that his team has enough leaders to go through the rest of the season without Goldson. He stated: “I am confident that we have adequate leaders. “You also become a leader by gaining experience in these situations. I feel a strong desire in the team to keep chasing.” Rangers might be six points behind Celtic when they enter the field on Sunday, with Celtic having played Hearts 24 hours before.
But Clement, they will remain focused on the task at hand. He remarked, “We will continue to focus on ourselves and the next three points. “Kilmarnock has a good record this season against the Old Firm, every game will be tight in the post-split games with the best teams facing each other.”