Arfield joins Jack on Ibrox casualty list

STEVEN GERRARD faces a midfield selection quandary as Scott Arfield joined Ryan Jack on the injured list ahead of next weekend’s visit of Celtic.

Arfield was forced off with a damaged ankle just seven minutes after replacing matchwinner Ianis Hagi in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Hibs at Ibrox.

Jack, meanwhile, has suffered a setback in his efforts to recover from the knee problem that flared up against his former club Aberdeen last month.

Rangers face St Mirren in Paisley in midweek, the scene of the club’s only domestic defeat of the season, before taking on champions Celtic on Saturday.

Although his team enjoys a 16-point cushion over their Old Firm rivals at the top of the Premiership table, Gerrard admits that Arfield’s injury is

ill-timed. ‘I’m worried about it because Scott doesn’t come off the pitch in normal circumstances,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t normally ask for a physio to come on, he’s one who will just get up and go.

‘He’s a brave kid, so I’m concerned about it. We’ll assess it. He’s got ice on the ankle area but until it actually gets scanned and assessed properly, I’ve got nothing for you.’

Jack had originally been pencilled in to return to action this weekend but the Scotland international has suffered a setback as Gerrard admitted: ‘We are having a few issues with Ryan’s recovery and I’m frustrated with it.

‘We don’t have a time frame on his recovery. We need him back as he is an important player for us.’

The news on Arfield and Jack failed to completely dampen Gerrard’s mood after a hard-fought win over an impressive Hibs team.

He said: ‘I thought it was a good, tough game. Hibs did extremely well to stay in the game. Jack (Ross) sets them up extremely well and they always carry a threat because they have got good players.

‘But I’ve got even more praise for my team for getting over the line and winning it because we knew it was going to be a tough challenge with the conditions really difficult.

‘We’ve stood up to that and managed it extremely well. But if you don’t get that second goal, you’re going to get a few nervy moments towards the end.

‘It’s a big win, though, clean sheet and 12 on the spin now, so I’m really happy. Resilience and character are a must. If we want to go the distance, it’s not always going to be easy. Teams are not just going to lie down and let us beat them.’

Gerrard rotated his squad for the Betfred Cup tie against St Mirren earlier this month and came undone with a 3-2 defeat.

Wary of the in-form opposition, he intends to field a strong team on Wednesday.

He added: ‘I will utilise the squad but there is no room for wholesale changes.

‘We do have people to come in, so I can’t see the 11 being the same.

‘I’ve said it all along, we were not going to be perfect.

‘We did have a setback against St Mirren and that was a blow but it is all about the reaction.

‘I have been pleased with it but it is important we continue that.

‘We’re in a much better place than we have been previously when faced with this situation because, recruitment wise, we’ve got much better players in the door now.’