Rangers defender Filip Helander will be out of action for at least six weeks, according to manager Steven Gerrard. The Swedish international sustained a foot injury in the League Cup final earlier this month.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference today, Gerrard revealed that the doctors have diagnosed a rare issue which means he will out for an extended period of time:
“Filip won’t be seen again until after the winter break. It’s a foot issue. I’m not a doctor but I’m told it’s a unique injury. The doctor told me that in his 25-year experience in medicine, he had only seen this issue on a couple of occasions.”
“It’s a difficult one to put an exact date on the time he will be out. But he is going to be in a boot for four to six weeks. That’s the starter pack so let’s go from there and see how it progresses.”
Some fans are disappointed that Helander will be out for so long:
day ruined cheers rangers
— Sam (@sm_1872) December 19, 2019
Highlights the need for a number of good centre backs ✅
— Basherbo (@Blue0rder) December 19, 2019
Big helander is out for at least 4-6 weeks with a foot injury after sustaining it in the cup final. ?
Speedy recovery big Helander ???⚪️? pic.twitter.com/y6eROwbIMY
— True Blues Loyal®️™️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@TrueBluesLoyal) December 19, 2019
sadly nobody will care as they all love Katic
— Dale Valentine (@DaleVal1990) December 19, 2019
However, there are a number of supporters who are happy that Nikola Katic will get a longer run in the side:
Best news i have heard for the last few weeks katic is far better than him and cost us less #releaseKatic
— William Thomson (@William54521110) December 19, 2019
— Philip Ewan McGregor (@PhiIip1872) December 19, 2019
— theoneandonlygailb (@strypeyblue) December 19, 2019
The depth in Rangers’ squad means the Light Blues do have options to fall back on. The aforementioned Katic and the talented George Edmundson can both fill in for Helander when required.
The Swede has had a stop-start career at Ibrox since his arrival from Bologna in the summer, and it will be a significant setback for the player who had just established himself as a first-team regular before his injury.