Michael Beale might have welcomed Todd Cantwell as his first signing this week and others may yet follow before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday night.
But the Rangers boss is just as interested in seeing his injured players restored to the ranks of those ready to pull on the blue jersey again and little would please him more than to have Filip Helander available to him. Helander provided Beale with one of the highlights of his first stint at Ibrox and the Rangers manager isn’t giving up on the injury-hit Swede providing him with many more second time around.
The Swede’s goal in the 1-0 win over Celtic in August 2021 gave Rangers a much-needed victory at the end of a week that had seen manager Steven Gerrard, captain James Tavernier and goalkeeper Allan McGregor all floored by Covid. Gerrard’s absence from the dugout, as he recovered at home, placed then-first team coach Beale, and assistant manager Gary McAllister, front and centre at Ibrox that day, and Helander was the man who made the difference rising above countryman Carl Starfelt at the back post to bullet Borna Barisic’s corner past Joe Hart.
The ecstasy of scoring the winner in an Old Firm derby was soon replaced by the agony of a miserable run of injuries that has seen the £3.5m signing from Bologna play only six more games for the club. In fact, Helander has managed to play in only 60 games for Rangers and has missed more than 100 since arriving from Italy in July 2019 and didn’t kick a ball this season for Gio van Bronckhorst before his departure in November or Beale since taking over from the Dutchman.
But the new Gers boss hasn’t forgotten the Swedish international. Nor has he given up the ghost on the chances of the 29-year-old recovering from the foot injury that required an operation after he broke down on the club’s pre-season training camp in Portugal and proving that he is worth an extension to his current deal that expires in the summer.
Beale said: “Myself and Gary took an Old Firm game, remember, and Fil scored the winner so I have fond memories of working with him and hopefully he can get through this and get back. And hopefully that will be the end of his injury issues.
“Listen, if the Fil Helander I know can get himself back then he’s a big asset to Rangers. He’s had two horrible years of injuries, I’ve not been in the building when he’s had them but at 29 I don’t think Fil Helander is done. He’ll have a lot of frustration, a lot of regret. He missed the qualifying for the World Cup, then they didn’t make the World Cup.
“He would have wanted to impact more with his national team. He missed the run to the final and the Europa League Final itself. He missed the Scottish Cup win. He’s not living over in Scotland, happy that he’s not playing football. He came here to play football for a big club and he’s missed out on an awful lot. So I feel for Fil. He was signed to be a big player for this club and when he was fit he was outstanding.”
Helander’s absence was one of a clutch of injury issues he inherited from van Bronckhorst but the Englishman was honest enough to admit that if the previous manager had not been hit with so many to vital players this season, the call to come back to Ibrox might never have been received.
Beale added: “I see him (Helander) in here every day and it must be so difficult. We’ve got a few players in the same boat. If I look at the squad this season, no Helander, no Hagi, Roofe barely, Lawrence barely.
“They are all big, big players for Rangers. They are all arguably starters or definitely players in the rotation of subs. I think it’s been a bit unfair. I’m probably in a job because of those scenarios where a player has got injured and the manager hasn’t been able to select him.
“You get dealt the results that come your way. At a club like this you need players like that are fit and probably towards the end of the season we’ll be asking how many starts we’ve had from that group of players.
“Next season, if they are all fit all of the time, then we’ll be a much stronger team for it. You’ve only got to see the impact Kemar Roofe had at Hampden.”
As for Helander, his manager reckons it might be March at the earliest before the boots are pulled on again - and revealed that the arrival of twins during his injury absence has helped him deal with his football disappointments.
“He’s probably two or three months away," he said. "In the interim he’s been blessed with twins which must be amazing for him. In this moment he’s taking the rough with the smooth if you like. He has those lovely moments when he can have that precious time with his new babies while going through his rehab.
“I think Fil has probably got to prove a couple of things to himself more than anything else. I mean that in the sense of returning and staying fit for a period of time. Hopefully that will happen towards the real back end of the season. In terms of his contract, at this moment in time there have been no discussions with Fil purely because of the length of time he’s been out.”
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