‘Difficult to accept’: 52-goal former Rangers hitman handed fresh injury blow as timeline revealed for return

‘Difficult to accept’: 52-goal former Rangers hitman handed fresh injury blow as timeline revealed for return

Former Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers has been dealt another injury setback, cutting short his involvement in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

The 31-year-old left Ibrox on deadline day to complete a reported £3.5 million move to Panathinaikos, as then-head coach Russell Martin reshaped Rangers’ attacking options by bringing in Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

Signed by ex-manager Michael Beale ahead of the 2023/24 season, Dessers initially struggled to settle in the Scottish Premiership, going more than a month without scoring.

While he divided opinion during his spell in Glasgow, the former Feyenoord forward still departed with an impressive return of 52 goals across all competitions.

Dessers made an immediate impact in Greece, scoring the winning goal on his first start in a 1-0 victory over Athens Kallithea FC, before netting again four days later in a 1-1 draw with champions Olympiacos.

That promising run was halted when he suffered an ankle injury during a 4-1 Europa League win over Young Boys, sidelining him for more than two months.

He returned to action in late November and marked his comeback by grabbing the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over NFC Volos, earning him a call-up to Eric Chelle’s Nigeria squad for the Africa Cup of Nations shortly afterwards.

However, his tournament was cut short after he picked up an unspecified injury in training just days before Nigeria’s final group match against Uganda.

Dessers missed the Super Eagles’ 4-0 last-16 victory over Mozambique, and reports in Nigeria now suggest medical assessments indicate he could be out for up to 12 weeks.

Taking to social media, the striker expressed his frustration, writing: “Unfortunately, I sustained an injury at AFCON.

It’s extremely difficult to accept that I will miss the rest of the tournament and an important period at Panathinaikos.

I’ll be our biggest fan during this time, focus fully on my rehab, and hopefully we can celebrate a win and a goal together soon.”