Philippe Clement must make a critical decision for Rangers today.
The Belgian has been receiving roses this week, as Kris Boyd praised the manager for his “huge” success of finishing in the top eight of the Europa League league phase.
However, there is little time to celebrate the victory because the deadline for submitting the 25-man roster for the competition’s knockout stages is 11 p.m. on Thursday (6 February).
According to The Rangers Review (5 February), loan signing Rafael Fernandes, Danilo, Clinton Nsiala, and exit-linked Ianis Hagi are the four players under consideration for the squad.
According to UEFA rules, only three changes can be made to a squad after the league round of the tournament, therefore Clement cannot afford to make the wrong decision.
Philippe Clement must exclude Rafael Fernandes from Rangers.
Although 22-year-old Fernandes arrived on loan from Lille to help ease Ibrox’s continuing defensive injury concerns, his name stands out among those listed as missing out on the Europa League team.
Hagi’s performance since rejoining the first team has been nothing short of “unbelievable.” With four goals and five assists this season, Clement would be missing out on one of his team’s key creative outlets if he excluded the Romanian.
Danilo, like Hamza Igamane, has pushed top goalscorer Cyriel Dessers down the pecking order at Ibrox.
As a result, the only big decision is between Nsiala and Fernandes for the final position in the Europa League team.
With Neraysho Kasanwirjo suffering a season-ending injury and Kieran Dowell leaving to spend the rest of
the season on loan at League One club Birmingham City, Clement can count himself fortunate to be able to tweak his team ahead of the knockout stages.
Nonetheless, Fernandes has only a limited amount of Portuguese top-flight experience, whereas Nsiala played admirably during John Souttar’s absence and is a more valuable competitor to the Englishman and Robin Propper.
Rangers are expected to get a £10 million windfall for finishing in the top eight, and with the prospect of additional financial benefit in the future, Clement should make the obvious choice.
