Derek McInnes has cautioned that Rangers are essentially "playing with fire" after a spate of injuries has left the club with a very limited pool of defensive options. The Rangers boss disclosed that midfielder Tuur Rommens suffered a groin strain in the closing stages of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership loss to Hibernian and is now expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
In the same match, forward Youssef Chermiti sustained a serious ACL tear, ruling him out for a "significant period of time" and further compounding the team’s problems. The injuries come at a particularly inopportune moment, as Rangers have endured a winless start to the campaign and are already scrambling to reinforce several areas of the squad. McInnes admitted that the club urgently needs reinforcements at full‑back, wing, and striker positions.
The first signing to address these gaps appears to be Couhaib Driouech, a winger who is set to join from PSV for a fee reported to be around £6.5 million. McInnes said that bolstering the defence and adding width were top priorities, but losing a player of Chermiti’s calibre also forces the club to re‑evaluate its attacking options. Ahead of Thursday’s Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Białystok, McInnes explained the depth issue: "We don’t have an array of options defensively.
We don’t have a left‑footed defender in the building and we’re keen to try and get that resolved as quickly as possible." He added that the lack of cover at the back means the team is "playing with fire" and that a couple of defenders are already out with injuries. Despite the precarious situation, McInnes remained optimistic, stating that the club has the ability to respond quickly and hopes to turn the situation around positively. Chermiti’s injury came just hours after Rangers publicly rejected a substantial bid from Galatasaray for the striker.
McInnes clarified that the club had no intention of letting the young forward leave during the summer. "The plan was for Youssef to be a big part of it for us," he said. He reflected on how quickly fortunes can change for a player: "One minute you’re flying high and you’ve got the full season ahead of you and a lot of loftier ambitions, then obviously he’s had to deal with this injury." The manager also addressed the broader challenge of finding a suitable replacement for the number nine role. "The number nines are normally the most difficult ones to get," he noted.
"We will try to get the right one that would complement what we’ve got at the top of the pitch. Obviously we’re looking for a bit of pace at the top of the pitch, ideally something similar to what Youssef did." Rangers have collected just a single point from their opening two league fixtures and now face a daunting task in the Europa League, trailing 2‑1 after the first leg against the Polish side Jagiellonia. McInnes acknowledged the harsh reality of football: "We understand that it’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, I got the job for a reason." He reminded supporters that the upcoming European match will be played in front of a crowd of around 50,000, underscoring the pressure on the squad. The manager reflected on the numerous changes the club has undergone this season, describing the situation as far from straightforward.
"There are a lot of changes indeed, and there’s a lot of turning around of the squad. Of course, it’s not been as straightforward as I hoped, and we want to enjoy the job a lot better than it is at the minute," he said. He emphasized that the ups and downs are part of a manager’s life and that dealing with adversity defines a team’s character.
"It’s part of being a manager. There’s ups and downs, but it’s about coping with the difficult times.
It defines you, and I think it’s up to us now to knuckle down, stay calm, work really swiftly in recruitment." In summary, McInnes’s message to the Rangers faithful is clear: the club is navigating a precarious period marked by injuries to key defensive and attacking players, a lack of depth in critical positions, and a demanding schedule that includes a crucial Europa League tie. The manager’s focus now is on rapid recruitment, tactical adjustments, and maintaining composure under pressure, all while hoping that the new signings, particularly Driouech, can provide the much‑needed spark to revive the team’s fortunes.