Nicolas Raskin has been ruled out for five to six weeks due to an ankle injury sustained during pre-season, as confirmed by Philippe Clement.

In an interview with Rangers TV (19 July), Clement revealed that the Belgian midfielder was injured during the 2-1 defeat to Ajax and has been in a protective boot since [Chris Jack, 13 July].

Tests showed that the 23-year-old will miss the start of the season, though Clement initially feared the injury was even worse. “I expected it to be worse when I saw him right after the game, but it’s still a really bad injury and bad timing because we’ll miss him at the start of the season,” Clement said.

Rangers’ Injury Curse Strikes Again

Once again, Rangers are facing an injury crisis before the season has even begun. The 2023/24 season was plagued by injuries, forcing Clement to field a squad of youngsters and senior players out of position.

Clement made behind-the-scenes appointments this summer to bolster the medical department and combat these injury issues [Rangers Review, 15 July], but luck has not been on their side. Raskin’s injury, caused by a poor tackle in a pre-season friendly, means he will miss the opening weeks of the season.

This injury deprives Raskin of the chance to cement his place in the team after a challenging few months at the end of last season. Now, Clement must find a new solution to fill the gap in the midfield.