John Souttar blow to Rangers emerges amid ‘really bad news’ with Scotland

John Souttar has suffered an injury while on international duty with Scotland, dealing Danny Rohl a fresh setback ahead of Rangers’ return to domestic action.

The defender had been named in Steve Clarke’s starting XI for Scotland’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Denmark on Tuesday and was set to add another cap to his tally.

However, he picked up a fitness problem during the warm-up at Hampden Park and was withdrawn, with Hibs’ Grant Hanley stepping in to replace him.

Scotland must win to secure their first World Cup appearance since 1998—or risk dropping into the play-offs—and Souttar had already come under fire for his part in Saturday’s defeat to Greece.

Reporting live on Sky Sports News, presenter Gail Davis said: “The teams are in the tunnel at the moment and some really bad news for Scotland because centre-back John Souttar picked up an injury in the warm up and he’s been replaced by Grant Hanley.”

Despite the disruption, Scotland started brightly, with Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay scoring a stunning overhead kick just three minutes into the match.

Souttar’s long-term future at Rangers remains uncertain, with his contract due to expire in the summer. He has been a regular for the club this season, missing only the League Cup victory over Alloa in August.

Meanwhile, loan arrivals Derek Cornelius and Nasser Djiga have yet to firmly establish themselves in the starting defence.

Rangers’ defence faces major concerns

Since Danny Rohl replaced Russell Martin, Rangers have improved domestically, even if European results have lagged behind.

Souttar was among those who struggled during the recent defeat to Roma, but the team have responded with three successive Premiership wins under the German coach.

With other centre-back options failing to consistently convince, the last thing Rohl needs is further disruption to his defensive unit — especially the possibility of being without the 29-year-old for any significant period.

If his back line does end up weakened this weekend, Rohl may take some comfort in facing the division’s bottom side at Ibrox. However, given the unpredictable nature of Rangers’ season so far, nothing can be taken for granted.