Rangers left-back Ridvan Yilmaz has withdrawn from Turkey’s squad after picking up a muscular injury.
The 22-year-old started the 1-0 defeat to Hungary on Friday night but he lasted just 27 minutes before he was forced off the pitch. The Turkish Football Federation have confirmed that he won’t feature for his country when they face Austria this evening:
“A mandatory change has been made in the candidate squad of our National Team, which will play against Austria in a special match on Tuesday, March 26.”
“Our defender Rıdvan Yılmaz was removed from the candidate squad due to the injury he suffered in his upper left thigh muscle in the match against Hungary yesterday.”
Yilmaz is in danger of missing the Old Firm derby
Muscular injuries tend to take at least a few weeks to recover from depending on how much tissue damage there is.
With Rangers taking on Celtic on April 7th, Yilmaz is in a race against time to be fit for the clash at Ibrox. The fullback is almost certainly ruled out for the game against Hibernian this weekend.
Rangers do have an experienced replacement in the squad
Borna Barisic is available for selection and the 31-year-old is expected to cover for Yilmaz when the Gers face Hibs this Saturday.
It is fair to say that the Croatian international hasn’t been at his best this season and it’s looking increasingly likely that he will leave the club at the end of the campaign when his contract expires. A move to Turkey appears to be on the cards with Trabzonspor said to be leading the race to secure his signature.
Barisic will, of course, remain firmly committed to helping his team win the Scottish Premiership title but the absence of Yilmaz is still a blow for manager Phillipe Clement.