Abdallah Sima may make a return for Rangers in time to be involved in the Old Firm derby, according to Stevie Clifford.
The Rangers Review columnist wrote for the outlet’s website on 24 March there is a “sneaking suspicion” that the injured Gers star has an “outside chance” of playing a part against Celtic on 7 April, having been out since picking up an injury while away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Brighton loanee had up until that point been a vital attacking force for Rangers, scoring 15 goals across all competitions while fellow new arrivals had struggled to adapt.
He hasn’t played since scoring in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock on 2 January, but Clifford asked Philippe Clement about his status after the recent defeat to Benfica and was told the Senegal international is “progressing really well”.
Clifford believes there may be hope of the 22-year-old getting back into the squad for the derby at Ibrox in a fortnight, noting that it would be a “huge psychological boost” for the Light Blues for him to even be on the bench.
There has been precious little in terms of positive injury news for Clement this season, and the situation has again got worse over the international break, but getting Sima back for the title run in and a possible Scottish Cup final would certainly be a welcome development.
His absence on top of Danilo’s long-term injury left attacking options light, and it is a measure of the endless selection issues at Ibrox that since he was ruled out the club have signed a replacement in Oscar Cortes and then seen the Colombian youngster go down with a serious set back of his own.
Add in the regular issues that Kemar Roofe has had for months, and problems for the likes of Todd Cantwell and Ross McCausland in recent weeks, and it is a wonder that Clement has managed to keep the team on track as well as he has.
It might take Sima some time to get back to his best after so many weeks out of action but if he can return anything close to the level he was producing earlier this year it could be crucial to the title race.
Although a draw with Celtic has been tipped as enough to maintain the initiative in the Scottish Premiership Clement needs a first win in the derby to avoid repeating Michael Beale’s issues in that fixture, and if Rangers can put some distance between them and their rivals at this stage it would be very welcome.
If Sima is involved it would give the Gers a better chance of success but the manager surely won’t be centring his game plan around the possibility.
In other Rangers news, “everybody thinks” that the Light Blues are going to complete a high-profile transfer this summer.
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