Steven Gerrard has suggested that Rangers may need to bring in another right-back if the injury to James Tavernier is a significant one.
The captain limped off the pitch in Antwerp last night after jarring his knee and is set for a scan tomorrow to determine the outcome.
At todays press conference, Gerrard stated that he is content with the cover available from Leon Balogun and Ryan Jack – with the unforced absence of Nathan Patterson – but the Gers gaffer also hinted that ‘we might need to look outside’.
Rangers may look to bring in a new right-back if James Tavernier is out for an extended period. Steven Gerrard says Tavernier will miss the next few games at least and is to go for a scan alongside Kemar Roofe.#Football #RangersFC
— Barry Anderson (@BarryAnderson_) February 19, 2021
That would be a reference to players who are out of contract.
One man who could fit the bill is Julian Korb, who has been without a club since last Summer.
The 28-year old German most recently played for Hannover and Borussia Moenchengladbach before that.
At Gladbach, Korb gained significant Champions League and Europa League experience.
In November 2016, he was sent off in a home CL tie against Celtic – the game at Borussia Park ended 1-1.
The former German U21 international also scored against Man City at the Etihad in the previous season, finishing a very good counter-attack.
After coming through the ranks at the west German club, he amassed 116 Bundesliga appearances.
As with any our of contract players, the situation is not easy.
The lack of match sharpness and time required to adapt to Scottish football are prohibitive factors that could see Gerrard going with what he has in the coming weeks, given the relative short time remaining this season and any new player would not be able to feature in the Europa League at this stage.