Rangers winger Ryan Jack could soon be on his way back into the side, and that could have some serious impact on the club going forward.
Jack is someone that has found playing time somewhat hard to come by this season, having been in and out of the side as a result of injury issues, with his most recent one concerning his ankle.
However, it looks as if he could be set to return to the team in their Europa League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed in his press conference ahead of the clash in Germany that Jack ‘is fit to travel’ with the Gers.
And although travelling with the side and managing to get into the starting XI or even the matchday squad are two different things, the fact that he is at least in discussion to take part can be seen as a significant boost to Rangers’ chances of making it through to the next round.
Here are two possible influences that Jack’s return to the squad could have, and whilst there are some positives, there is also someone in the squad who might see it as a negative:
Could be a game-changer
Jack is someone who has a major influence in how Rangers play both in attack and in defence. If you look at his numbers from last season (via WhoScored), he ranked inside the top ten in the side for both tackles per game with 1.1 and in interceptions with 1.1.
On top of that, he also managed to average one key pass per game, make the second-most passes of anyone in the side with an average of 72.3 and maintained a pass completion rate of 89.9% which was the fourth-highest in the team.
And if he is able to bring that skill set to the side tonight against a tough Dortmund side that are fighting for the title in Germany, Rangers might just stand a chance of getting a decent result away from home that could set them up for the second leg.
Former Rangers boss Alex McLeish even suggested that Ryan Jack can be a game changer for the Gers against Borussia Dortmund today, with one of the main reasons behind that he can shore up gaps between the defence and attack.
One man in, one man out
However, if he does come into the side, it does mean that someone else could be forced to make way for him, and that man could well be Glen Kamara.
Is Ryan Jack a key player for Rangers?
YES
NO
If you look at Kamara’s numbers from this season (via WhoScored), you can see that he hasn’t been able to produce at the level that Jack was able to last year. He’s currently averaging one tackle, 0.8 interceptions and only 61.7 passes, although he has been able to complete more successful passes at a rate of 91.4%.
Although, it may not be so straight forward as Glen Kamara has featured heavily in the Europa League so far this season. He also scored against Hearts and featured in Ryan Jack’s place in the middle of midfield against Hibernian recently, so it’ll be a tough decision for the Rangers boss.
In other news: 100% tackle success, made a key pass: Rangers loanee played a blinder with 65 touches