Rangers have been hit by a potentially major injury blow ahead of two huge meetings with Celtic, with Lawrence Shankland facing a spell on the sidelines.
Derek McInnes has now admitted the early signs are concerning, with Shankland comparing the feeling to the injury he suffered at Hearts last January.
He said: (The Scotsman), “It looks quite significant, to be honest. He got a similar feeling to the hamstring injury he had at Hearts last January when he was out for three months, so obviously we don’t want to speculate too much. But he says it feels similar to in the same area, so we’ll get him scanned on Monday.
“You know, his output was really high on Wednesday at Falkirk on the 4G. Sometimes going that from pitch to pitch can maybe make you a wee bit more vulnerable. But he says he felt fine going into the game, so, and there was nothing really that he did in the game that he was aware of, he just felt it pull up. So he says it feels similar to then, so we’ll see how the scan shows on Monday.
“It’s a shame for the boy because he was obviously just in good form, getting himself moving and getting himself enjoying some of that attacking threat we’ve had over the last few games, and we’ve waited long and hard for that. So just a pity for Lawrence that it looks as if he’s the next period is he’s going to be sitting on the sidelines.”
That previous setback kept Shankland out for around three months, although Rangers will wait for Monday’s scan before putting any firm timescale on his latest injury.
McInnes also pointed to the quick turnaround from Wednesday night’s game against Falkirk.
“You know, his output was really high on Wednesday at Falkirk on the 4G. Sometimes going that from pitch to pitch can maybe make you a wee bit more vulnerable.
“But he says he felt fine going into the game, so, and there was nothing really that he did in the game that he was aware of, he just felt it pull up.”
The timing could hardly be worse for Rangers.
Shankland had also started to find some form, making his potential absence even more significant for McInnes.
“It’s a shame for the boy because he was obviously just in good form, getting himself moving and getting himself enjoying some of that attacking threat we’ve had over the last few games.”
From a Celtic point of view, the focus will remain on Martin O’Neill’s own side, but there is no question Rangers being without their captain and main striker would be a major boost ahead of two derby clashes in seven days.
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