Rangers will look to maintain their position at the top of the Scottish Premiership and go past Benfica in the Europa League as the fixtures start to pile up quickly again. However, that’s undoubtedly easier said than done—especially in light of the most recent injury update on Philippe Clement.

Rangers injury updates

Given the extensive list of injuries the Gers already have, Clement’s latest efforts to pass Celtic at the top of the league are all the more remarkable. Rangers were expected to be without as many as five players before their next match against Motherwell even before the most recent update.

Rangers’ injury list (via Rangers News)	Timeline of return
Rabbi Matondo	Unknown
Abdallah Sima	Mid April
Alex Lowry	Mid-late March
Kieran Dowell	Late March
Todd Cantwell	Late March
Danilo Pereira	Early April

Rangers cannot afford to make even one mistake in the coming weeks, as Celtic leads them by just two points in the Scottish Premiership. But it could get harder and harder for the Gers if their injury list gets longer and their schedule gets fuller.

Even worse, Clement disclosed that Oscar Cortes had sustained a muscular ailment against Kilmarnock and would not know when he would be able to play again.

The former AS Monaco manager was unable to provide an estimated time of return for the January loan signee, thus it is likely that he will miss Rangers’ Europa League round of 16 matchup against Benfica. The first leg, which is in Portugal, is scheduled for as early as next Thursday, while the second leg—a pivotal match for Rangers’ hopes of making it to Europe—takes place at Ibrox on March 14.

Cortes has made an impression so far at Rangers.

It’s reasonable to argue that Cortes, a 20-year-old winger for RC Lens, has impressed since joining the team in January, especially since indications indicate that Rangers may try to make the loan transfer permanent this summer.Clement hasn’t held back while giving the loanee a lot of recognition.

“He is a capable player who enjoys playing football and can contribute to the club. During his six months in Lens, where they played a different style, he didn’t play many minutes, if any at all. However, it’s good that our recruitment team knew him beforehand and that they said he would fit in well with the team and squad, as well as provide something we could use for the upcoming few months.

“It’s clear already from the first training that he can help us with achieving our goals.”

Rangers are greatly frustrated by Cortes’ positive impression, which makes the news of his injury even more frustrating, particularly as they get ready to play Portuguese powerhouse Benfica. When the winger consults a specialist regarding his muscle problem, Clement will be praying for good news.

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