da realsbet： Glasgow Rangers winger Brandon Barker was forced off the pitch early on against Falkirk in the Betfred Cup which saw a rare start come to a premature end.
da dobrowin： Despite his best efforts, Barker was unable to continue as he picked up what looked like a potential knock, and was replaced by Ianis Hagi on the left hand side.
The club have not yet confirmed the full extent of the injury but it looks like it could be a bitter blow for Steven Gerrard, who already faces several weeks without Jordan Jones after he was given a seven-game ban by the SFA for breaching COVID rules.
With Barker facing a fitness sweat for the Europa League clash with Standard Liege on Thursday night, Gerrard may be forced to give Hagi the nod instead.
Rangers signed the Romania international on a permanent deal from Genk in the summer after he impressed during a loan spell at Ibrox last season, having scored a brace in a 3-2 victory over Braga in February.
Since then, he has found his chances somewhat limited so far this season, having been left as an unused substitute on the bench on three occasions so far.
However, in spite of the fact that progress has been slow, it’s clear he is highly regarded by the Ibrox boss, who described him as an “outstanding talent” after he inspired the comeback win over Braga in the Europa League.
In fact, it’s fair to say that his versatility could prove useful as Gerrard juggles both domestic and European competitions. The attacking midfielder, who can operate on the right or in the centre of the midfield, has scored one goal and supplied six assists in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.2 shots and 1.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored.
Let’s face it, Barker was never likely to start anyway, as Kemar Roofe was preferred on the right wing in his place to face Benfica last month. But Standard Liege posed very little threat last time out, so Gerrard may take the opportunity to rotate his squad once again with an eye on the trip to Premiership rivals Ross County at the weekend.
There’s no doubt the 22-year-old is held in high esteem at the Ibrox outfit. But he has largely been starved of minutes as of late, although he played the full 90′ minutes against Falkirk in a more central role, and he could keep his place in the starting line-up against Standard Liege later this week.
AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must get rid of Jordan Jones, he earns more than Joe Aribo…