A “great character” at Glasgow Rangers has provided a significant injury update on social media, acting as a boost for Ibrox boss Philippe Clement.
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The Gers may have won 2-0 at home to St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday evening, but that’s not to say that this has been a wholly positive season to date.
Clement finds himself under lots of pressure after some poor results in Europe, not least the 4-1 loss at home to Lyon in the Europa League last week, but in fairness, he hasn’t been helped by injuries to a number of important players.
Loanee youngster Oscar Cortes could be a potential “long-term” absentee, as his frustrating spell at Ibrox continues – he was also plagued by fitness issues during his first loan stint from Lens last season – and the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo have all been unavailable of late, too.
The hope is that this current international break not only allows Clement to have a breather and embark on a more consistent run of form later this month, but also get as many of these injured players back in the fold as possible. Now, a new update has emerged regarding one player.
"Great character" gives Rangers injury boost
Posting on his Instagram story on Monday [via Rangers Review], Rangers attacker Matondo simply said “soon”, hinting that his injury comeback is almost complete and that he could be back after the internationals.
This is contrary to what Clement said recently, with the Belgian hinting that the 24-year-old wasn’t one of those nearing a comeback, saying: “I expect in training to have Danilo and Ridvan maybe, and the two others not yet, it’s too early for them.”
Assuming Matondo’s social media post isn’t wide of the mark, this is great news for Rangers, who desperately need their injured players back.
The £23,000-a-week Welshman may only have been available for four Scottish Premiership games this season, starting two of them, but he has already picked up a pair of goals and assists apiece, showing what he can offer in the final third.
Meanwhile, former Wales head coach Rob Page has heaped praise on him in the recent past, saying: “I love Rabbi to bits, he’s such a threat with his pace. He’s a great character in and around the group. He’s earned the right to be back involved. I’d have had him in before this, but because of his injuries we couldn’t. To get Rabbi back is a positive.”
Matondo may not necessarily always be one of the first names on Clement’s team sheet, but he is a hugely important squad player who possesses real quality, as highlighted by his stunning strike at home to Celtic in the 3-3 draw at Ibrox last season.
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