Rangers boss Michael Beale has confessed crocked defender Filip Helander has a 'unique problem'.
The Swede is out of contract in the summer and has yet to feature during Beale's tenure after suffering a long-term foot injury against St Mirren over a year ago. Helander was initially given a return timeline of March and it remained a mystery to Light Blues supporters as to why the centre-back hadn't returned to the pitch.
Helander has enjoyed success at Ibrox since joining from Bologna in summer 2019 as he played an important role under both Steven Gerrard and Gio van Bronckhorst until suffering this major setback. And when quizzed on Helander's road to recovery this week, Beale admitted: “Fil has a unique problem. It’s about bone structure in his foot and he’s away seeing a specialist. He’s not back on the pitch just yet.”
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It's now unlikely that the 30-year-old will play for Rangers again, with no signs of any extension talks. Helander is one of a host of first team stars who could move on in the summer. Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent look no closer to committing their future's while Allan McGregor, Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield may seek pastures new.
Opening up on his injury hell in November, Helander said: "There have been a lot of injuries, but they have been injuries that have been difficult for me to do anything about. First it was the knee and then the foot. It has been hard.
"But there hasn't been much more to do than fight. Hopefully I've had my fair share of injuries now over the past year. I tried to rehabilitate the foot without surgery. When I was back in time for the pre-season last summer, I injured my foot again.
"It turned out that it hadn't healed properly and I needed surgery. That's why it's taken so long. Hopefully I can be back at the end of February or the beginning of March. There is a bit left. Everything in rehab has gone well so far."
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