Rangers have been dealt a blow with the news that DaMarcus Beasley is set for a lengthy injury lay-off.
American ace set for spell on sidelines after knee injury
Rangers have been dealt a blow with the news that DaMarcus Beasley is set for a lengthy injury lay-off.
The American winger suffered a serious knee injury in a challenge with Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Shafer on Tuesday and will return to his homeland for surgery.
Although Beasley will not learn until after the operation exactly how long he should be out, manager Walter Smith confirmed the 25-year-old is expected to be sidelined for several months.
Rangers will definitely be without Beasley for their final group game at home to Lyon on 12th December, with Smith's side needing just a point to progress, but Beasley could still be out for the first knock-out round, which begins on 19th February.
Beasley was just beginning to establish himself at Ibrox following his summer move from PSV Eindhoven.
Blow
"After the European game, DaMarcus Beasley will be out for quite a lengthy period," Smith told the club's official website.
"He has to go for an operation, which he'll go to America for, and we'll have a better idea after that operation, but it will be months before he's back. How many we're not quite sure but it will certainly be months.
"It's a bigger blow to him in the sense that no player wants to be out for what could be a considerable length of time. But for us, he was settling in and starting to do well. He has a bit of pace in the wider areas of the pitch so we'll miss him."
