Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits he's not sure when injury-plagued Wales star Aaron Ramsey will return to fitness, amid growing doubts over his time in Glasgow.
Ramsey only arrived at Ibrox on the final day of the January window, but has so far managed to play just 94 minutes for his new club due to injury, and won't play any part in the trip to St Johnstone on Wednesday night.
His only starting appearance for the club so far saw him play just over an hour of the Scottish Cup win over four-tier side Annan Athletic last month, with his other outings coming off the bench against Hearts, Hibs and Borussia Dortmund.
It's a record that will be of deep concern to Wales boss Rob Page as he bids to guide the nation to their first World Cup since 1958, with two potentially massive games now on the horizon.
Wales take on Austria on March 24 at the Cardiff City Stadium before facing either Scotland or Ukraine at the same venue five days later.
Not having Ramsey available would represent a huge blow to any hope of reaching the finals in Qatar later this year, with star striker Kieffer Moore already likely to be ruled out.
But if Ramsey does return, the lack of game time will likely be equally as worrying for the Wales boss.
To compound Page's concerns, van Bronckhorst admits he doesn't know when Ramsey will be back to full fitness.
"I don't have a clear timeline (on Aaron),” said van Bronckhorst. “Hopefully, he can join the team very soon. He’s already working on the pitch again so hopefully in the near future we can welcome him back in the squad.
"Of course we wanted Aaron to be involved more than he is now but the most disappointed is Aaron himself. But that’s football. You almost never get the ideal scenario as a coach.
"Only in an ideal world. You always have things that will happen every week due to circumstances. You just have to make sure you handle the situations well for the players and for us as a team in general and just move forward. Hopefully Aaron and all the other players who cannot be involved tomorrow can be with the team soon.”
Ramsey's undeniable quality understandably saw him heralded as the signing of the window by many onlookers.
Former Rangers striker and manager Ally McCoist recently hailed it as a coup for Scottish football.
But there are already signs that patience is beginning to wear thin, particularly in light of Rangers' faltering title chase.
Rangers are currently three points behind leaders and bitter rivals Celtic on the back of disappointing draws with Motherwell and Dundee United.
The perceived lack of impact from Ramsey and others has been pinpointed as a key problem, with Ibrox legend Brian Laudrup one of those to suggest that time is running out for the Wales international to make his time in Scotland a success.
In his Daily Mail column, Laudrup wrote: "At the midpoint of the season, you are looking for players who can offer fresh blood and impetus. But it just hasn't happened for Rangers. At least not yet.
"Look at Sunday as a perfect example. After Motherwell pulled it back to 2-2 with 14 minutes remaining, you think it's time to put on someone capable of making a difference in an attacking sense. A player who can create things and deliver a breakthrough.
"But Amad Diallo didn't get off the bench. As Rangers looked in vain for a winner, the Manchester United loanee wasn't asked to contribute. In fact, Kemar Roofe was the only substitute introduced with seven minutes remaining. That surely says something.
"Then you have the fact Aaron Ramsey again didn't make the squad as he tries, I assume, to get to the right condition after his well-publicised injury issues at Juventus.
"No one doubts Ramsey's huge quality but time is running out for this loan move to be effective. The Wales star has not been able to make the difference many hoped he would."
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