Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has confirmed that the club could be handed a boost for this weekend’s clash against Livingston with the surprise return of Borna Barisic from injury.
The 26-year-old has been missing for the last five league games due to a knee problem suffered earlier in the campaign and it was expected that he would be out for a while longer.
However, while admitting that there were still doubts over the fitness of the Croatian defender, Gerrard confirmed the Light Blues could be handed a surprise boost as early as this weekend and if not now then in the near future.
He told Rangers TV, as quoted by Sky Sports: “Borna is very close. Whether he is available for the weekend we will make a decision in the next couple of days.
“But over the next two or three games Borna will be back in the squad.”
Opinion
Rangers will have had to wait two weeks since their last fixture but with their options in defence stretched a bit thin it was by no means a bad time to have an international break. Having Barisic back as soon as possible will be a big boost to Gerrard who has regularly called upon Jon Flanagan on the left hand side of defence, but the English talent has looked a bit shaky at times. The Christmas period is always a busy one for teams and with the added challenge of Europa League action to contend with, Rangers need as many of their top players available in order to give the manager options to rotate. However, even if Barisic was fully fit it seems unlikely that Gerrard would make even a couple of changes to his side – unless they were enforced of course – after thrashing Motherwell 7-1 in their last outing before the break. With his fitness a doubt, it seems unlikely Ibrox will see Barisic this weekend – but he seems destined to make an immediate comeback.