Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti was carried off on a stretcher after suffering an apparent knee injury against Hibernian at Ibrox.
Rangers have been handed a worrying injury concern after Youssef Chermiti was stretchered off during Sunday’s 2-1 Scottish Premiership defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox.
The 22-year-old started alongside captain Lawrence Shankland but lasted only 36 minutes, with January signing Ryan Naderi introduced in his place.
Chermiti appeared to hurt his knee while challenging Hibernian player Josh Mulligan for the ball near the byline.
His momentum carried him towards the advertising hoardings, and he immediately signalled to the Rangers bench for treatment.
Medical staff attended to the Portugal Under-21 international before he left the field on a stretcher.
Rangers have not confirmed the nature or severity of the problem, meaning any estimate of his recovery time would be premature.
It was a grim interruption to an already difficult afternoon for Derek McInnes. Josh Campbell’s early penalty put Hibernian ahead before Miguel Chaiwa’s own goal brought the hosts level in the closing stages.
Callum Wright then struck in stoppage time to condemn the Light Blues to their first league defeat of the campaign.
Rangers sit on one point after their opening two Premiership fixtures, having drawn 1-1 at Dundee United.
Chermiti’s setback is especially badly timed as Rangers host Jagiellonia Bialystok in the second leg of their Europa League third qualifying-round tie on Thursday.
They must overturn a 2-1 deficit from Poland to continue their journey in the competition. The forward was one of six changes from Thursday’s first leg and was selected as part of a two-man attack with Shankland.
That choice suggested McInnes wanted Chermiti central to the response, making his early withdrawal more than an isolated concern.
McInnes can call on Shankland and Naderi if Chermiti is unavailable, but the Portuguese striker offers a different physical outlet.
His 15 goals during his debut campaign will be the kind of output the Gers risk losing at a crucial point.
The incident came only hours after reports said Rangers had rejected a £22 million bid from Galatasaray.
McInnes confirmed before kick-off that an offer had fallen short of the club’s valuation, but attention must now turn from Chermiti’s future to his fitness.
Any medical update will therefore shape McInnes’ selection plans and Rangers’ wider thinking across the closing weeks of a transfer window involving arguably their most valuable attacking asset.
The Light Blues will need to assess him quickly and establish whether Thursday remains realistic.
Until examinations provide clarity, McInnes must prepare for a decisive European return leg without one of his most dangerous attacking options.
