Rangers’ Declan John is at risk of missing the Old Firm derby due to a groin problem.
Rangers full-back Declan John may miss the upcoming Old Firm derby against Celtic because of a groin injury.
The 22-year-old has been at the heart of the Rangers first-team setup since coming in for Lee Wallace, who was also struck down with a groin problem back in September. Since then John has been gradually improving with each passing game, and now he is considered to be a big loss following this latest blow, which was reported by the Daily Record.
Despite still needing some improvements regarding his defensive game, which can be said of most young full-backs, John is an integral part of the way Rangers form their attacking line-up. His energy over the last few months has been key to many of the team’s big moments, which raises some questions regarding who could replace him heading into the huge game against Celtic.
Wallace and Andy Halliday are the two main options and, while it’s not the worst problem in the world for Rangers to have, it is vitally important that they make the right call.
Wallace has only just officially come back from his spell out injured, and it seems as if the smart option would be to embed him back into the setup slowly. If they rush him back in a game as big as this, not only does he risk re-injuring himself, but he also risks putting the team’s fate on the line considering he has barely had any time on the pitch in the last few months.
With that in mind, Halliday being put into John’s position seems like the logical way forward. It may not be ideal in any sense, and they could just test him out against St Johnstone before reverting back to Wallace, but they need to give him a chance at the very least.
Either way, Celtic fans will be rubbing their hands together at this latest development as they attempt to maintain their strong lead at the top of the league table.
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