An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers attacker Fashion Sakala and his current injury situation...
What's the latest?
Physician Dr. Wesley Ngongo has revealed that the winger will not be playing for his country during the break after arriving for international duty with an injury that will keep him out of their games.
As quoted by the Daily Record, the Zambian said: “Basically all the players called into camp managed to report and are all in good health and ready to participate in the game against Israel. However two players, Fashion Sakala and Frankie Musonda haven’t been able to report to camp.
“But after further consultations with medical staff from their respective clubs it was found that they are both injured as a result they will not be able to participate in the upcoming games. We have been in discussions with both the players and their medical staff and together it was decided that the best course of action was for them to complete their rehabilitation at their respective clubs.”
This comes after Gio van Bronckhorst had claimed, on the 8th of November, that the forward was dealing with a 'minor' issue and would only be sidelined for a week.
Frustration for Gio
Van Bronckhorst should be frustrated by this latest blow as it comes after Glen Kamara also returned to the club after withdrawing from the Finland squad, due to a leg injury.
The former Arsenal midfielder has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.57 as he has started three games, playing seven in total, in the Premiership this season. He ranks 20th in the squad in terms of his average rating and this indicates that losing him is not a major source of frustration for the head coach.
However, Sakala has caught the eye since earning himself a place back in the squad in recent weeks. He did not make a single appearance in the Scottish top flight throughout August but has since burst back into the side and averaged an excellent rating of 7.08 across six outings in the division.
The Zambia international has scored one goal and created three 'big chances' for his teammates in those matches, which shows that he has the quality to make things happen in the final third.
He also ranks seventh in the squad in terms of ratings and this suggests that he has been one of the club's top performers in the Premiership so far.
Therefore, van Bronckhorst should be frustrated by this latest injury setback as the attacker is now set to be out for longer than the Dutchman had initially claimed.
It now remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit enough to return to action on the other side of the break and thus, the Light Blues boss will likely be sweating on the forward's fitness over the coming weeks, as losing him would be a big blow given his aforementioned statistics.