Rangers manager Philippe Clement, has refused to rule out Nigerian defender Leon Balogun chances of playing in Thursday’s Old Firm Derby.
The former Brighton and Hove Albion defender, missed Sunday’s disappointing 2-2 draw at Motherwell due to an injury suffered in the first half of the Boxing Day’s 2-1 defeat against St Mirren.
The Light Blues have been hit with a lot of injury concerns with captain James Tavernier also ruled out of action, and the 50-year old Clement said Balogun could participate in the match against Celtic if he is deemed fit.
“It’s a blow, and we have had a few blows in that way in the last weeks, the last months. There is a small chance Leon Balogun could return. We will see after his individual work.”
Rangers are currently 14 points behind league leaders Celtic, and have only beaten their rivals once in the past 17 encounters but will be buoyed by Balogun’s return to training.
When answering questions about the chances of the Nigerian starting in the very important match, the
Rangers manager said, “No, because it needs to be possible to play, you cannot play on one leg.
We always take risks and you have to do in this business but it needs to be no crazy risk that players can be out for months. That will not be the case with Leon but we will see if he’s ready or not”, he added.Clement will hope to ‘banish his demons’ by getting a first-ever win over Celtics as manager, as they hope to reduce the gap to the leaders and it remains to be seen how much of action Balogun will be involved in if deemed fit.
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
