Pedro Caixinha has confirmed that Rangers skipper Lee Wallace will miss out on both of the club’s fixtures this week with a groin injury.
The 30-year-old captain sustained the injury 10 minutes into the Lights Blues’ clash against Partick Thistle on Friday night and had to be substituted off for Cardiff loan star Declan John.
The game ended in a 2-2 draw, thanks to goals from summer signings Alfredo Morelos and Graham Dorrans.
Rangers face Patrick Thistle again on Tuesday in the Scottish League Cup quarter final, but the squad will be without their skipper.
Boss Caixinha has explained that the Scotsman will to travel to England on Monday to discover the extent of his injury but confirmed that the skipper would be out for both fixtures, including the Old Firm clash, this week.
“Lee Wallace is out, he is travelling to Manchester today to have an assessment on his groin so let’s see how it goes,” Caixinha explained to the Rangers official website.
“Depending on the outcome of that we will see what we need to do. He will miss the weekend, Lee is out we just need to know for how long he needs to be out.”
Wallace has featured in most Gers matches during the campaign and his leadership with be missed this week.
OPINION
Wallace’s absence will be definitely noticed on Tuesday but even more so on Saturday. A strong and experienced captain is crucial to the confidence and success of a team, particularly in a game as big as the Old Firm meeting. Caixinha should opt to hand Kenny Miller the captain’s armband on Saturday as his maturity will help keep the squad calm and controlled under the pressure of the Old Firm derby. Fans will be eagerly awaiting results of how long he will be out for, and hopefully he will be back to fighting fit over the coming weeks.