Rangers were rocked by the news recently that Nathan Patterson had withdrawn from Scotland duty due to injury, which is a huge blow to Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

What's the word?

The right-back picked up a knock in the 1-0 win against Moldova at the weekend and has been forced to withdraw from the squad as a result, which suggests that he could be a doubt for Rangers' next game, which sees them take on St Johnstone away from home this weekend.

Gerrard's side are still recovering from their own injury and covid issues, with James Tavernier one of those who has been missing in recent fixtures after being forced to self-isolate, so it is unfortunate timing for the Gers that Patterson may not be available.

A big blow for Gerrard?

Although Leon Balogun impressed at right-back in the Old Firm derby win, it is not ideal for Gerrard to have Patterson potentially missing for upcoming games, especially considering the Gers' busy schedule.

Hopefully, those who were out due to isolation in recent games weren't too badly affected by their illness and will be close to full fitness by the time they travel to McDiarmid Park on Saturday, otherwise Rangers' squad may end up looking very thin.

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Patterson has established himself as a key part of Gerrard's squad over the past 12 months or so, initially breaking into the first-team when Tavernier was out injured last season and impressing so much that there were some calls for him to start ahead of the captain at right-back.

Alan Hutton and Shaun Maloney lauded Patterson's "outstanding attributes" last season and his energy down the right-hand side has quickly helped to establish him as a fans favourite at Ibrox.

The 19-year-old was the subject of interest from Everton in the summer transfer window and looks set for a very bright future in the game, so Rangers fans will no doubt be gutted if he is set for a spell on the sidelines, as it increases the pressure on Tavernier to play nearly every game.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly a blow for Gerrard that Patterson could be unavailable for upcoming games after injuring himself on international duty.

And, in other news... 3 key passes: "Outstanding" Rangers ace emphasised his class with superb international display