The German has seen his squad rocked by injury ahead of their return to league action against Livingston on Saturday
15:39, 21 Nov 2025Updated 18:10, 21 Nov 2025
Rangers boss Danny Rohl has been hit with a defensive injury crisis at Ibrox – with John Souttar and Derek Cornelius potentially out until the New Year.
On top of that, the Ibrox gaffer has suffered another blow with the news that in-form winger Mikey Moore will also be side lined.
That has prompted the German to bring forgotten Gers stars Emmanuel Fernandez and Clinton Nsiala back in from the cold.
Rohl had NO injury concerns before the international break but had to produce a list of the walking wounded at his pre-match press conference for Saturday’s game against Livingston.
Striker Youssef Chermiti is a doubt, as well as back-up keeper Liam Kelly – with youngster Bailey Rice also out.
On the plus side, Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell and Rabbi Matondo are all on their way back to full fitness but won’t be risked this weekend.
Rohl’s biggest problem is in his backline after Souttar and Cornelius came back crocked from international duty with Scotland and Canada respectively.
As his Ibrox treatment room filled up, the Gers boss said: “It’s a big one and not easy. Today I need a list because we have a lot of problems.
“Before the international break, we had nearly no injuries. But now, John is out with a muscle injury. We have to wait and see for how long.
“Mikey is out too and it’s difficult to say how long he’ll be out. Derek has to go to a specialist with another muscle injury. That could be a serious one, a big one.
“I hope John and Mikey are back by the end of December. With muscle injuries it could be 25 days or 40 days, you never know. With Derek, I doubt it will be four or five weeks, it could be longer.”
Rohl is excited at the prospect of Sterling’s return after six months out with a torn achilles.
Dowell and Matondo are also training but none of the trio are ready to start. He said: “I’ve seen Dujon’s quality in training and his calmness.
“I know it’s hard for players. If you’re ready, you want to play and show what you can do. But we have to protect the players so we’ll take one more weekend and get some more minutes in his legs.
“Hopefully he’ll be ready as soon as possible. Youssef is a big question mark after getting a kick and it’s the same with Liam.
“Kieran, Dujon and Rabbi have made huge steps in their training process but they need to play a game before they’re really part of the squad.”
Rohl says Rangers’ fringe men now have a chance to show him what they’re capable of and stake a claim for a place in his side.
Fernandez was signed for £2.5million from Peterborough in the summer but has started just one league game so far.
Emmanuel Fernandez of Rangers
While Nsiala featured under previous bosses Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson but was bombed out by ex-gaffer Russell Martin.
Now the pair of them could be in for a Rangers reprieve. Rohl said: “I’ve had good conversations with some other players and it’s a good chance for them to step up now.
“Sometimes in this moment, players surprise and shock you. I had a conversation with Manny to give him the feeling that everyone in football is waiting for this opportunity.
“If that comes for him on Saturday, he should take it. Football is about being ready and performing at the right moment.
“Sometimes you have a story. I’ve had this in the past, when players are a little bit out but then comes a moment where they perform well and they’re back in the game.
“You need everyone on the page and I’m comfortable we can fill the gap for the next few games.
“Obviously we hope the injured players can come back soon.
“It’s about solutions and hopefully we’ll have good solutions on Saturday.”
Rohl appointed set-piece coach Scott Fry to his backroom team last week after snaring him from Lincoln City.
But he’s revealed he WON’T be bringing an ex-player as previously planned, with Stevie Smith stepping up from his academy role.
He said: “At the moment, I’m happy with the set-up. When I arrived I spoke about maybe having a former player in my coaching staff.
“But I have to say, Stevie has stepped up in this role from the academy.
Rangers boss Danny Rohl(Image: George Wood – UEFA)
“He knows the players and the academy so he gives us a good link.
“How he’s acted in the group has been fantastic so I’m convinced now we should go with this set-up.
“It doesn’t mean the door is closed for someone else. It’s still part of our job to look.”
Ahead of Saturday’s game against Livi, Rohl says he’s determined to climb the table as they trail Celtic by five points and leaders Hearts by 12.
He said: “We need to win this game and to win the next few points, we have to go with this squad.
“After three wins in a row, we want to hopefully make it four. We want to close the gap.”