Rangers have received a double boost following the return of John Souttar and Ridvan Yilmaz from long-term injury problems. But they are still without Filip Helander who hasn’t featured in almost a year. His future looks uncertain at Ibrox amid reports of a potential return to former club Malmo. While speaking to Fotbollskanalen (as quoted by the Daily Record), Malmo director of football Daniel Andersson has sparked the speculations.
“We have had little contact during these years, but we’ll see how the situation is. He is still quite young. Like I said, we’ll see. We keep in touch with all interesting old Malmo players.”
The 29-year-old Swedish centre-half progressed through the academy ranks of Kvarnby IK, Husie IF and Malmo before breaking into the latter’s senior squad. After making 94 senior appearances for The Blue Ones, Helander left Sweden for Serie A side Hellas Verona in the summer of 2015. He joined Bologna a year later and his impressive run of form made him one of Rangers’ most exciting transfers during Steven Gerrard’s regime.
Although he played 22 times in the heart of the backline during the Gers’ title-winning 2020-21 season, persistent fitness problems saw him missing more than 100 games since plying his trade at Glasgow back in 2019.
The Sweden international is still sidelined with a foot injury and the gaffer Michael Beale challenged him to prove his fitness in order to earn a new contract before the end of the current campaign. But the chances seem bleak as he has failed to make himself available for selection.
Why Rangers Should Sanction Helander’s Exit
Rangers, on the other hand, have parted ways with James Sands who failed to stake a claim in the manager’s plan. Despite his versatility in defence as well as midfield, the USMNT international had his loan stint terminated after falling down the pecking order. He initially partnered with Connor Goldson amid the injury absence of Souttar, Helander and Ben Davies. However, Davies’ return cost him his starting spot post-winter break.
Meanwhile, the rise of Leon King is highly encouraging for the Light Blues boss. He has not played much of late, but the crisis at the back helped him exhibit his potential at the senior level. He is expected to continue as the understudy to Goldson, Davies and Souttar, and Helander, therefore, might find it difficult to reclaim his lost status even if he recovers before the end of the season. He is one of the club’s highest earners and his exit would free up the wage bill even if they lose him for nothing in the summer window.
