CLEMENT WILL ALLOW PLAYERS TIME TO PROVE FITNESS FOR CUP FINAL
RANGERS manager Philippe Clement won’t rush into any selection calls on players returning from injury ahead of next weekend’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic.
The Ibrox boss watched his team finish their league campaign with a 3-3 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle yesterday.
It was a fairly depleted side selected by Clement, who was missing a string of first-team regulars due to injury and suspension.
He now faces key fitness calls on the likes of winger Abdallah Sima — who played the final 20 minutes from the bench yesterday — and centre-back duo John Souttar and Leon Balogun, while Ridvan Yilmaz has also only recently returned from injury and featured for the final half-hour at Tynecastle.
Clement insists he will give players every opportunity to prove their fitness on a case-bycase basis.
Asked if he’s hopeful of having more players back, he said: ‘We will see, it was positive Abda and Ridvan could take some minutes today. We will see if Leon Balogun can be fit again. We are going to see in the week, so in that way it is difficult for me to plan the starting XI and what players are going to make it.
‘We need to assess with the medical and performance staff how many players are available and for how many minutes. I don’t know yet what the story will be. A player could be fit on Friday and play some minutes and I need to wait until that moment.
‘I don’t like this situation but it’s been that way for a few weeks. Today was about making choices before next week in terms of who can play minutes.
‘The changes in the game weren’t for the game, it was more towards the cup final, to give players rhythm. Or to take players out because we couldn’t take risks in case they get injured and give us more problems for next week.’
Ross McCausland was the one Rangers player who staked a solid claim to start at Hampden, with a goal and an assist in what was a positive performance.
‘We need to pay attention to the really positive things if you see how the young boys are growing into the team,’ continued Clement.
‘Ross scored a really good goal and that was a player last year who had trained only five times with the first team all season, now he has played a lot.
‘It’s a pity he was kicked off the pitch for eight-ten weeks when his momentum was growing. I see positive things also about Robbie (Fraser), Cole McKinnon, Johnly (Yfeko). We are working hard on that and it’s a positive thing.
‘It clearly wasn’t a dead rubber for both teams, everyone went full.
‘If you have ten shots on target against four, you’re disappointed with a 3-3 — and certainly when you concede a goal in the last two seconds of the game.
‘It’s important to take good lessons out of that. In big spells of the game, the boys showed good things with an experimental team.’
Clement and his players will look to complete a cup double when they take on rivals Celtic next weekend.
Victory at Hampden would see the Belgian claim his first Old Firm win since taking charge and finish the season on a high.
He has challenged his players to secure Scottish Cup glory and give the fans a ‘special’ finale to a season which saw their title challenge collapse on the home straight.
He added: ‘In one game, everything is possible. And in the three games I’ve had against them, we got a draw and lost the other two 2-1 at Celtic Park when we played a big part of those games with ten men.
‘Every time, it was really tight. I know my players will go full in this last game to give the fans something special. That’s why I believe we can win it.’