How on earth do you replace a man who’s played in 200 of the last 211 games in all competitions? That is a problem Giovanni van Bronckhorst must find a solution to with the summer transfer window now just three months away.
Is Danilho Doekhi the answer for Rangers? Well, perhaps not, at least on the evidence of the last few weeks.
Doekhi’s side were blitzed 5-0 by Ajax on Wednesday night, exiting the Dutch cup at the quarter-final stage.
Taken in isolation, a five-goal drubbing in Amsterdam is disappointing, yes, but not a catastrophe.
The same cannot be said of the way Vitesse collapsed like a house of cards in a hurricane in their most recent Eredivisie outing however. A dismal, error-strewn 3-0 loss at FC Twente.
Doekhi, Vitesse’s usually-reliable captain, was as least partially at fault for Twente’s third of the afternoon.
After the centre-back misjudged a high ball over the top, one-time Norwich City flop Ricky Van Wolfswinkel gobbled up the easiest of opportunities like a hungry hound pouncing on a succulent piece of steak, licking his lips as the ball trickled across the line.
In fact, Doekhi has skippered Vitesse to three defeats in a row.
Including a 3-1 home loss against struggling Groningen, a side with genuine European ambitions are now down 11-1 on aggregate across their last three outings.
Will Rangers have second thoughts about Danilho Doekhi?
“We were outplayed,” sighed a dejected Doekhi after Vitesse’s latest battering (De Gelderlander). “At 4-0, I really thought: ‘Let it be over soon.’
“We wanted to be compact. (But) we gave Ajax free reign. 18 minutes had been played (when Antony scored the opener). Way too early. That made everything very difficult.”
Doekhi’s contract, like that of Goldson, expires in July.
And Rangers have identified the former Netherlands U23 international as a ready-made replacement for their long-serving centre-half. In fact, Doekhi himself admitted last month that the Glasgow giants had made their interest known.
But on a night where Goldson showed Rangers fans what they’ll be missing with a commanding performance against Hibernian, his successor had an evening to forget.
Rangers, Doekhi admits, have been ‘watching’ him closely of late. He’ll be hoping their focus, on Wednesday night, was on Hibs and Hibs alone.
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