Rangers lose Shankland for up to four months

What the report says

Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland is expected to miss up to four months after suffering a hamstring tear, with surgery still under consideration following further scans. BBC Sport Football reported that manager Derek McInnes confirmed the injury before Rangers’ Scottish Premiership match against St Mirren, saying the 31-year-old forward had aggravated the problem after previously damaging the same hamstring while at Hearts last season.

Shankland was withdrawn early in Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Motherwell, a match in which he had already scored four times in 10 appearances for Rangers this season. His absence is a major setback for the Ibrox club, which is already without striker Youssef Chermiti for a longer spell after an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The BBC said Rangers now face a busy run of domestic fixtures through the autumn and winter, including meetings with Celtic and a packed December schedule.

The injury also affects Scotland. Shankland is set to miss Nations League matches later this year, removing an established international option for the national side. BBC Sport Football noted that he has scored seven goals in 22 appearances for Scotland, including three earlier in 2024.

With Shankland sidelined, Rangers will need other attacking players to take on more responsibility. The BBC highlighted Ryan Naderi, Bojan Miovski and new signing Kevin Kelsy as possible sources of goals, while stressing that it remains too early to judge how quickly the squad can cover for their captain.