Rangers have received a significant pre-New Year boost with defender John Souttar returning to first-team training, putting him in line for a comeback before the crucial Old Firm clash with Celtic.
Defender Nears First-Team Return After Injury Lay-Off
John Souttar has not played for the Ibrox side since the victory at Dundee on November 9. The Scotland international sustained a muscular injury during the warm-up before his national team's match against Denmark. His absence, compounded by Nasser Djiga's international duty and Derek Cornelius's injury, has left manager Danny Rohl short of defensive options throughout December.
However, the German coach has now confirmed that Souttar's return is imminent. The centre-back took part in full training this week, marking a major step in his recovery. Rohl indicated that a run-out in the match against St Mirren on Tuesday, December 30, is a realistic target, which would clear the way for him to feature in the seismic Celtic Park encounter on January 3.
Rohl's Cautious Optimism on Souttar Comeback
"John was good yesterday," Rohl stated. "He trained for the first time as part of the session. Let’s see what it means after tomorrow, but it’s a huge step. I’m not sure if it’s enough for the weekend (against Motherwell) but, with the games coming now, it helps."
When asked directly if the St Mirren fixture was a reasonable goal, the manager replied: "Could be, yeah. I think when you play every three days, then you have to see. But the big step was yesterday, to come back to a training session. He looks good, he looks fit, this is great."
The news is less positive for fellow defender Derek Cornelius, whom Rohl confirmed faces a longer spell on the sidelines, potentially until February.
Boost Follows Disappointing Defeat at Tynecastle
Souttar's pending return comes after Rangers' 12-game unbeaten league run under Rohl ended with a 2-1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle last Sunday. The loss extended the gap between the sides to 12 points.
The match was not without controversy, as Rangers had an early goal by Bojan Miovski disallowed for a tight offside call following a Manny Fernandez header. The VAR decision left many observers unconvinced.
"It’s really tight," Rohl admitted. "Sometimes I’m not sure when you stop the action if it’s really exactly on this point or not... At the end, it was a decision that was unlucky for us."
The team now aims to bounce back on Saturday when they host high-flying Motherwell at Ibrox. With a rare break on Christmas Day itself, Rohl is pleased his players can spend time with family before a hectic schedule resumes, culminating in the highly anticipated trip to face Celtic.
