Rangers manager Philippe Clement says Ridvan Yilmaz remains unavailable for selection due to injury.
The fullback picked up a muscular problem while playing for Turkey last month and he hasn’t been seen in action since. Asked about the defender’s fitness at his pre-match press conference before the Dundee game, Clement said:
“Ridvan is still missing. Not long-term but he’s not fit for this game. It’s a matter of days, not weeks. Is it now in a few days, or after the weekend? We will see. That’s difficult to predict.”
It appears that Yilmaz won’t be out for too much longer but fans on X are slightly frustrated with the defender’s injury problems:
He’s another one that can’t stay fit for 5 minutes.. great wee player but very injury prone
— Ted (@IBoyd1966) April 10, 2024
Didn’t get spoken about but we missed him on Sunday
— The Tulip (@coups_left_peg) April 9, 2024
get him fully fit for the last 5 league games
— Scott Cameron (@Cammy26_2) April 9, 2024
😥
— Drive-by body pierce (@garryboy11) April 9, 2024
Need the wee man back asap
— Scott Henderson (@ScottHendo84) April 9, 2024
☹️
— Thomas Ross (@coopotb72) April 9, 2024
As long as Dujon plays LB (for now) 🙏
— . (@BM9MF) April 9, 2024
Yilmaz has spent a lot of time on the sidelines since moving to Ibrox
The 22-year-old has had 227 days on the treatment table over the last 21 months. That suggests he is somewhat injury-prone.
It should be pointed out that Yilmaz is still relatively young so there is an argument to say that his fitness could improve in the future.
He is now firmly established as Rangers’ first-choice left-back
Since Clement’s arrival at the club, Yilmaz has started to play more regularly. The defender has been named in the eleven 20 times so far this season.
In contrast, Borna Barisic has fallen down the pecking order, with Clement opting to start Dujon Sterling ahead of the Croatian against Celtic in the Old Firm derby on Sunday.