Rangers have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of their clash with St. Johnstone this weekend with midfielder Graham Dorrans and striker Kenny Miller set for spells on the sidelines.
Dorrans has been a long-term absentee, picking up his ankle injury in Pedro Caixinha’s last game in charge, a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, but has now been sent for surgery.
A statement on the club’s official website on Thursday confirmed the news, and Murty will now be without his key midfield man for a further period of three months.
Murty said: “It is a shame for Graham really, we took him to see a specialist who recommended a conservative approach so we followed that for a couple of weeks and unfortunately it didn’t take.
“The treatment didn’t prove as efficacious as we would have liked, so he went back to London to have surgery on his ankle which means he is going to be out of an extended period.
“It is a sore one for him to take but we believe we did the right thing by trying to be conservative and getting him back without the surgical option but that hasn’t proved to be the case.”
Miller sustained a hamstring injury in Rangers’ 2-1 win over Hibs last time out, and has been sent for a scan to assess the damage, with the club still waiting on the results.
The veteran striker is a talismanic figure for Rangers, having returned for a second spell at the club, and has captained the team on several occasions this term.
Murty confirmed the news in the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, as reported by the club’s official Twitter account, also stating that Ryan Jack was ready to go after his latest red card suspension:
?? #MURTY: Awaiting news on Kenny Miller after he had a scan. Ryan Jack is back for tomorrow and he is ready.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 15, 2017
OPINION
The news of Dorran’s extended absence will be a massive blow for Rangers. While they have coped well without the Scotland international, Dorrans is quite clearly one of the Light Blues best players, and they would have been hoping to have him back by now. The former West Brom and Norwich man had managed five goals and two assists in his first 10 games at the club, and his return can’t come quickly enough. Miller is another blow, but the return to form of Alfredo Morelos and the goalscoring exploits of Josh Windass should cover for the veteran being out.