Rangers F.C

Philippe Clement hands Dujon Sterling a Rangers challenge as Tom Lawrence suffers fresh injury blow.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

faxsoccer

It’s a fresh injury blow for both the player and the Ibrox manager ahead of facing Olympiacos in the Europa League.

Michael Stewart senses Rangers 'power struggle' between Clement and Sterling as he spots clear sign - Daily Record

Philippe Clement has told Dujon Sterling he must prove himself in the coming weeks.

The Rangers manager has revealed that the versatile star has been dealing with a niggle, which could be one of the reasons he has failed to reach last season’s heights. The recent decisions to not play the former Chelsea player have sparked debate among pundits such as Michael Stewart and Alan Hutton. And now Clement has challenged the defender to prove himself once more in the coming months. He believes the difficulties are beginning to fade and that he is on the right track.

The Belgian stated: “Dujon [Sterling] needs to prove himself in the next weeks – he has been struggling with a bit of an injury and so he maybe didn’t hit the same level as last season – but he is coming back from that.”

Rangers have arrived in Greece to face Olympiacos in the Europa League. The Light Blues are under pressure in the Scottish Premiership after falling nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen at the top. However, they gained confidence at Hampden by coming from behind to defeat Motherwell and advance to the Premier Sports Cup final.

Tom Lawrence was forced to leave the national stadium, and Clement has revealed that he has been left at home to recover from his latest injury. However, he has told those waiting in the wings for a chance that now is the time to take the initiative. In good news, both Ridvan Yilmaz and Rabbio Matondo are close to returning to the field.

He told the media: “Tom Lawrence hasn’t travelled, he got injured at the weekend and will be out for several weeks. He has been important for the team but it gives opportunities for other players to prove themselves.

“Injuries are always going to happen in football and we are trying to make positive changes to reduce as many as possible. Ridvan Yilmaz is back in training, and so is Rabbi Matondo, so this is getting better.”

Regarding the game, he stated, “We have enough experienced players in this squad to handle the atmosphere the opposition will present – European nights are special and they look forward to playing in stadiums like this. We know tomorrow is a big test but we are looking forward to that. We want to face every opponent to get points, and this is the mentality we want to see.”