The Glasgow Rangers ace recalled the serious knee injury to fellow Ibrox star Jamie Murphy when Gers and Killie last played at Rugby Park.
Ahead of the Scottish Premiership trip to Kilmarnock, Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield criticised the synthetic pitch at Rugby Park, saying it should not be “anywhere near” top-level football.
Steven Gerrard’s charges, currently in contention for the title alongside Killie, return to Ayrshire on Wednesday night for the first time since Jamie Murphy suffered a serious knee injury back in August.
The winger’s knee appeared to buckle on the artificial turf during Gers’ 3-1 win in the Scottish Cup, with ligament damage subsequently diagnosed, and he is now expected to miss up to nine months of action as a result.
After that game, Gerrard hit out at the playing surface, something he reiterated this week ahead of the upcoming fixture, as quoted by BBC Sport, and speaking to the official Gers website, Arfield echoed his manager’s sentiments.
That said, the 30-year-old was adamant that his comments should not be taken as a sign of fear or trepidation, insisting he and his teammates will simply get on with it as they pursue victory in a very significant game in the title race.
“I don’t think these surfaces should be anywhere near top-level football but it is what it is,” he said. “It’s another obstacle to overcome and we need to just go and win the game. If you go in with [trepidation] you are doing yourself harm and more so the team harm.
“It was one of those things. Obviously it was a shocker for Jamie and a shocker for us and I think it’s more likely to happen on these artificial surfaces. I just echo those thoughts that they shouldn’t be anywhere near it.”
Alongside Killie, Hamilton Academical and Livingston are also using synthetic pitches in the Premiership this term.
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