OPINION
After it was confirmed that Jamie Murphy has been ruled out for the rest of the season, Rangers must push on with their reported hunt to sign Kilmarnock attack Jordan Jones.
Murphy had to be stretchered off the pitch in the 3-1 win at Rugby Park on Sunday after breaking down the controversial artificial playing surface.
It has taken a few days to uncover the extent of the injury, but speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Gers boss Steven Gerrard has confirmed the crushing blow for the ex-Brighton ace.
“Sad news for Jamie Murphy as he will be missing for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Rangers’ official Twitter account.
??SG: Sad news for Jamie Murphy as he will be missing for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 22, 2018
It is terrible news for Rangers to be without Murphy for the rest of the season, but luckily the transfer window is still open and Gerrard and director of football Mark Allen can still bring in a replacement before deadline day next week.
And the player that they bring in must be Killie’s Jones.
The 23-year-old has been in fantastic form over the last 12 months with his dazzling displays on the left-flank lighting up the Scottish Premiership.
He impressed even though the Light Blues won 3-1 over Steve Clarke’s side on Sunday and according to the Daily Mail in their live transfer blog [11:45am] earlier in the summer, he is already being monitored by the Glasgow giants.
It is understood that a six-figure fee worth £600,000 could be enough to pry the Northern Ireland international away from Rugby Park, and that is quite the bargain for a player with his form, with his skill and with his proven top-flight ability.
Last season, Jones scored four goals and supplied 10 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for a mid-table side – imagine what he could do for Gerrard’s title-challenging side with Alfredo Morelos up front.
Obviously it’s harsh on Murphy to instantly start looking for a replacement, but football is a harsh world to live in and Rangers cannot stand around licking their wounds and they must step up their efforts to sign Jones as soon as possible.