Rangers sweating over Roofe for Europa League final
LONDON, United Kingdom (CMC) — Manager Gio van Bronckhorst said Scottish side Rangers are doing all they can to get injured Jamaica Reggae Boyz forward Kemar Roofe ready to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final later this month in Seville, Spain.
Rangers were forced to tackle semi-final opponents RB Leipzig without a recognised frontman after having both top scorer Alfredo Morelos of Colombia and understudy Roofe ruled out through injury, but they swept past the Germans 3-2 on aggregate.
Roofe, the former Leeds and Anderlecht ace, is closer to a return but he was absent again as Rangers claimed a 2-0 Scottish Premiership win over Dundee United at the weekend.
The 29-year-old was sidelined since picking up a knee injury in the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic on April 17 at Hampden Park, leaving van Bronckhorst without a fit, recognised striker.
Roofe, who has scored 17 goals this season including one for the Reggae Boyz in a 2-0 win over Honduras in a World Cup qualifier in October, has been fast-tracking his recovery with the use of a hyperbaric chamber.
Van Bronckhorst is determined to do all he can to get Roofe fit for their date with destiny against their German opponents on May 18.
“Kemar’s going to work hard to make it,” he said. “Of course, he didn’t make it for last Thursday’s game [against Leipzig]. That means he’s got two weeks to prepare more. All he wants is to be available for the final, so he will push himself.
“My medical staff will do everything possible to get him fit. We have to wait and see how it goes but the intentions are there to have him fit.”
Meanwhile, Michail Antonio, Roofe’s Reggae Boyz teammate, is confident he will bounce back quickly after being substituted at half-time with a hip injury in West Ham United’s 4-0 weekend win at Norwich City, having tucked away his first Premier League goal since New Year’s Day.
“Hopefully, I can keep scoring in the last couple of games,” the 32-year-old striker told the club’s website, suggesting he will be ready to shake off his injury to feature against Manchester City and Brighton.
Also, Championship club Preston North End (PNE) have released winger Scott Sinclair, who is of Jamaican descent.
Sinclair, 33, joined PNE from Scottish side Celtic in January 2020 and made 85 appearances during his time at the Lancashire club.