Rangers star suffers 'longer term' injury blow in title race gut punch as Clement explores Tavernier change

Rangers winger Oscar Cortes looks set for another extended period on the sidelines after manager Philippe Clement confirmed his latest injury setback will keep him out of action “longer term”.

The Colombian star - who returned to Ibrox on a season-long loan from French side RC Lens with an obligation to buy for a fee in the region of £4 million next summer - has endured a torrid time with injuries this year. Having initially joined the club during the second half of last season, Cortes started just three Premiership games before his campaign ground to a halt after picking up a serious hamstring problem which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

Upon returning to the Scottish giants earlier this summer, the 20-year-old started the league opener away to Hearts but sustained a knock in the second half which left him requiring treatment and resulted in him missing a further seven games, including the Champions League double-header with Dynamo Kyiv and the Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

Cortes played 45 minutes in his comeback match against Dundee United on September 15 before coming off the bench in the League Cup win over Dundee a week later. He then suffered a mystery injury in training and hasn’t been available for selection in recent weeks.

That has left Clement short of wide options with Rabbi Matondo also currently on the treatment table. Speaking in his post-match press conference following the 2-0 victory over St Johnstone on Sunday night, Clement confirmed: “Yeah, that’s going to be longer term.”

Quizzed on the fitness of Danilo and Ridvan Yilmaz and whether they are due to return after the international break, Clement offered a more positive update. He responded: “I expect in training to have Danilo and Ridvan maybe, and the two others not yet, it’s too early for them.”

With Clement seeking adaptability in various areas across the pitch, the Belgian boss also admitted he could rotate James Tavernier's position moving forward after the skipper played in a more advanced right-wing role during the second half against Saints with substitute Neraysho Kasanwirjo slotting in behind him.

“I don’t know, it’s also the circumstances of the game,” Clement added as he played down the prospect of Tavernier occupying the unfamiliar position on a regular basis. “But of course everybody knows that Tav has really big qualities in the final third, with assists and with goals, so it’s something we can do in moments, we will see.

But it’s also that moment. I still only had two more changes to make, and so I made that decision. It’s not something that you will see every week, I think, but we will see. Sometimes you get surprises out of those kind of choices, we will see.”