Rangers playmaker Niko Kranjcar has reportedly suffered a major knee injury.
Burnley’s Andre Gray in action with Rangers’ Niko Kranjcar
According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers playmaker Niko Kranjcar has suffered a freak training ground injury, and could be out for the rest of the season.
Kranjcar, 32, was one of Rangers’ marquee summer signings having built up quite the reputation for himself in the Premier League.
Having impressed in his native Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, Kranjcar earned a 2006 move to Portsmouth, and his performances for Pompey and later Tottenham Hotspur made him a star.
Niko Kranjcar warming up for Tottenham Hotspur
Since leaving Spurs for Dynamo Kiev in 2012, Kranjcar has had something of a nomadic career, and left American side New York Cosmos to join Rangers on a two-year contract over the summer.
With undoubted quality on the ball, Kranjcar was seen as a player who could add creativity and guile to the Rangers side, but his form has been a little patchy so far.
Niko Kranjcar at Queens Park Rangers
Kranjcar’s three goals in 15 games is a decent record, but he’s looked slow and even unfit in some games, with Rangers fans hoping to see him kick on after a fine recent performance against Partick Thistle.
However, those hopes may be dashed. The Scottish Sun report that Kranjcar suffered a freak training ground injury on Tuesday, and Rangers are fearing the worst.
It’s stated that Kranjcar as stretched away from training with suspected knee ligament damage, and whilst Rangers won’t know for sure until the swelling on his knee has gone down over the next few days.
Ranger’s Niko Kranjcar in action with Burnley’s Scott Arfield
The fear is that Kranjcar has torn his cruciate ligament, which would rule him out for at least six months, meaning his first season with the club could be over already.
That’s a huge blow for Rangers, especially just days before they take on Celtic in the Scottish League Cup, and could mean that manager Mark Warburton is without his two big-name summer signings in Kranjcar and Joey Barton.
How much do you think Rangers would miss Kranjcar?
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