Rangers striker Kemar Roofe’s fitness concerns will be examined over a longer period of time as Philippe Clement works to “rebuild” the player. The 30-year-old, who joined the Light Blues from Anderlecht in 2020, has struggled with a number of injuries. Roofe did not play in the Europa League draw against Sparta Prague on Thursday night, stayed off the field for the decisive 4-0 Premiership victory over Hibernian over the weekend, and will not be included in the lineup when Hearts visit on Sunday.
The former Leeds forward reportedly had a groin complaint in September and was sent for a scan, but Clement withheld the details of the issue from the former manager Michael Beale.
“Kemar is definitely not going to be available this weekend,” the Belgian manager stated. Most likely, we must rebuild. We need to look into that thoroughly in the coming weeks because he has been having problems with the same issues for a while. It is crucial to determine the cause of the issue rather than just solving it in order to get him ready for the next game and struggle afterwards. Instead of going game by game, it is important to go to the root of the issue. I am unable to comment on that (the duration of his absence); we must first conduct a thorough evaluation of the best way to get Kemar back so that he can return for an extended period of time.
After what could prove to be a crucial Europa League point in the Czech Republic, Clement was having a Zoom call.
As he recovers from a facial injury that keeps him from playing with a mask, striker Danilo came off the bench and came the closest to scoring for the Ibrox team when Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl tipped his shot over and onto the crossbar. The Brazilian forward won’t be back to his best for several weeks, in Clement’s opinion. He’s been out for a while,” he stated. In the previous few months, or even the past year, he didn’t play as many 90-minute games. He appeared radiant during the brief time he
“It will take several weeks of work to get him to that level.”
Due to an injury, Borna Barisic was unable to travel to Prague, and Clement is unsure if the left-back will be available for the match against the Jambos. We will see if Borna can train tomorrow; that is still up in the air,” he stated.
While Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, and Dujon Sterling are still sidelined, Clement anticipates that midfielder Jose Cifuentes will return to training on Saturday.
