Steven Gerrard has given an injury update ahead of the return to domestic action this Saturday with Dundee United coming to Ibrox, with some cause for concern over the names he didn’t mention.
Joe Aribo was close to a return before the international break and Borna Barisic was ruled out of Croatia’s Nations League fixture against France, however, neither player was mentioned when the gaffer, speaking to Rangers TV and reported by The Daily Record, gave his latest interview:
“We have given them some time off with their families. We have been on quite a hectic schedule but that is about to get even more intense going into September and October.
“You can see the likes of Kemar (Roofe), who have been given work to do away from here, now starting to look really ready, which is fantastic.
“It has also been a chance for us to get injured players closer to getting back into full training. Jermain Defoe is on the verge of that, Cedric Itten is on the verge of that and Jordan Jones’ injury is not as bad as first feared.
“We are hoping, in a week’s time, we should be in real good shape from an injury point of view as well. It has been a positive international break so far.”
Could Rangers cope without Aribo and Barisic?
Yes
No
Aribo and Barisic have been key performers for Gerrard so far this season and he will want them back and firing on all cylinders as soon as possible, results have shown that he has a squad that is more capable of handling such absentees but the last thing he would want after such a good start is to drop points at home against a newly promoted side.