Rangers have been handed a massive boost with events tonight meaning that Joe Aribo and Kemar Roofe will be available for the crucial run of games over the next fortnight, including the Old Firm encounter at Parkhead on 2nd February.
Nigeria had something of a surprise exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, after going down 1-0 to Tunisia, whilst Roofe was omitted from the Jamaica squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers next week.
The obvious focus is on that upcoming game against Celtic but the one game at a time mantra applies as always.
For Gio van Bronckhorst’s side, the immediate priority is Wednesday’s game against Livingston at Ibrox to build momentum toward the big one and this news does indeed provide an injection of confidence as well as obvious options on the pitch.
As is well known by now, the obvious sub-plot to this Old Firm derby is the international qualifiers that overlap the fixture and the decision of the SPFL to play through the international window.
From the perspective of the champions, it will just be Alfredo Morelos who is missing due to national team duty after his recall to the Colombia squad. On the other side of the fence, the added issue of injuries is combining with the international call-ups but that will be for others to content with.
Rangers – squad, management and fans can now start a new week with an added sense of confidence for what is to follow with the first mission to be completed on Wednesday.
The added layer of intrigue comes with the last week of the transfer window to come – it is going to be an eventful few days ahead.