Rangers are already set to miss out Alfredo Morelos for the upcoming games, and Steven Gerrard recently confirmed (The Scottish Sun) that there is an injury crisis up front as Jermain Defoe and Kyle Lafferty are doubtful for the clash against St. Johnstone. Jermain Defoe was signed in January to provide cover for Morelos whose disciplinary record always makes him a hot candidate for a suspension. However, now it seems like both his replacements are struggling to get fit in time for the upcoming tie against St. Johnstone.
The manager was quoted as saying, ”Defoe has had tightness in his hamstring, Lafferty has had tightness in his calf. They will do part of the session today and hope they come through. We have pulled young Dapo Mebude back from international duty just in case. It’s a concern. But we’ve got good attacking players. We may have to find a different way. We’ll see how the next few hours go and hopefully they pull through. They’re both confident and I’ll trust the players. I’ll give them both every chance of being available.”
Rangers fans would be hoping that either one of their strikers become available as they need to keep up the pressure on Celtic in the title race. The Hoops are currently six points ahead, and the Bears cannot afford to have any more slip-ups if they want to run Celtic close in the title race.
Gerrard has tried using Defoe and Morelos together earlier, but now the manager would hope that at least one of his strikers becomes available. The manager also indicated that he will keep young Dapo Mebude on standby, but maybe it might be wise for him to consider someone from the first team to fill in the forward position.
None of the players are calling out to be picked as a striker, but maybe someone like Ryan Kent can do a job if Defoe and Lafferty fail to recover in time for the weekend’s clash. Kent is likely going to be more of a false nine forward instead of operating as a traditional striker while Glenn Middleton can occupy his spot on the left flank. However, there is no doubt that Kent is suited to play from the wide areas, but maybe the manager can consider using him if things don’t turn out his way.
Defoe has struggled when he has played as the lone man up front, and maybe someone like Lafferty can add a different dimension to this team given his physical presence. However, its time for the club to keep their fingers crossed and hope that at least one of them becomes available just in time for Saturday’s clash.
