Philippe Clement drops Rangers freak injury bombshell as he delivers major title race blow

Rangers defender Connor Goldson has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a freak training ground injury, it has been confirmed.

The 31-year-old centre-back, who recently lost his place in the Light Blues starting XI with Leon Balogun the preferred option in games against Aberdeen and St Mirren, will NOT feature in the final four league matches or the Scottish Cup final against Celtic.

Scan results have located a tear in his medial ligament, with manager Philippe Clement revealing on Friday that Goldson’s won’t kick a ball again for the remainder of the campaign after damaging his knee at Auchenhowie earlier this week.

It’s not yet clear when the Englishman will be fit to return, meaning the Ibrox side will be without one of their ever present leaders for the remaining two pivotal clashes with their arch rivals at Parkhead and Hampden later this month.

Clement stated: “Wednesday in training, Connor (Goldson) hurt his knee bad, he will be out for the rest of the season after a scan. It is a big blow, he has played 48 games this season, one of the leaders. He said to me, he wanted to be in the dressing room to support the boys.

“We have enough leaders, I am clear on that. You also become a leader by getting experience in these moments. I feel a lot of hunger in the team to keep on chasing.”

Clement also confirmed that long-term absentees Oscar Cortes and Danilo will remain on the sidelines until the summer, ensuring neither player will aid their quest for a clean sweep of domestic trophies.

On a more positive note, the Gers boss is hopeful that on-loan Brighton star Abdallah Sima and fellow wide man Rabbi Matondo will return before the end of the season providing they continue to make positive strides in their recovery.

Left-back Ridvan Yilmaz is deemed a “maybe” to be ready in time for Sunday’s clash with Kilmarnock at Ibrox. Midfielder Ryan Jack has also “partly trained” with the squad but needs more time to shake off a calf problem.