The Ibrox side will have to do without Kranjcar for up to six months, but Garner is confident that the Gers have adequate cover.
Joe Garner has insisted that he is confident that Rangers will not feel the loss of Niko Kranjcar too much during the midfielder’s injury absence as the squad’s young stars are more the capable of stepping up, as reported by the Glasgow Evening Times.
Kranjcar is expected to miss up to six months of the remainder of the season after it was confirmed that he has torn his cruciate ligament.
That comes as a big blow to the Gers. Kranjcar was a marquee signing for Mark Warburton’s side in the summer and has been an important player thus far, playing 15 times in all competitions and scoring three goals.
However, although Garner admitted that the 32-year-old Croatian will undoubtedly be a big loss for the Ibrox side, he insisted that Rangers have the quality and depth to deal with his absence.
The forward said, via the Glasgow Evening Times: “Niko’s a top, top player and he brings a lot of experience to a lot of the younger lads that we do have here at the club. He will be a huge miss for us but hopefully he comes back stronger.
“It will be tough going without him but the young lads have stepped up lately. Josh [Windass] has been playing really well, Holty [Jason Holt] and Andy [Halliday]are on form as well.
“The gaffer knows what he’s doing but hopefully we should be okay with those guys in the team.”
There are certainly signs that Rangers can do just fine without Kranjcar; since the midfielder’s last appearance on 14 October, the club have fought back to draw with St. Johnstone and recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Kilmarnock.
Warburton and Gers fans will be hoping that Garner’s confident prediction comes true, and that the likes of Holt, Halliday and Windass can carry them through the rest of the campaign.
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