Doctor Clement tells Rangers to use cryotherapy chamber more, reveals surprise injury and looks forward to reunion with old pal

It’s perhaps fitting that waiting to welcome Rangers to Dundee for a fixture framed by the continued and perhaps even worsening injury worries of the visitors is a man known to all and sundry as Doc.

He isn’t The Doc, as there will only ever be one of them. But Tony 'Doc' Docherty is edging ever deeper into the affections of the Dundee support as his side prepare to face a Rangers team going out on the road for a domestic assignment for the first time under Philippe Clement.

It promises to be a testing evening for the new Ibrox manager but at least he can expect to see one familiar face. Dundee technical director Gordon Strachan is scheduled to be present and might sympathise – to an extent – with the Belgian's continued complaints about the physical conditions of his players.

Clement barely played for Strachan, who signed him for Coventry City from Genk in 1998. Injury severely hampered the midfielder's spell in English football. No sooner had he scored his first goal for the Sky Blues, in August 1999 against Cardiff, than he was being stretched off with a depressed fracture of his cheekbone. Shortly after making his comeback Clement hurt his back in a challenge with Leicester City’s Emile Heskey. He made just 16 appearances in total.

Rangers' Nicolas Raskin went off on a stretcher against Hearts and will miss the match against Dundee.

These were at least easy to explain ailments – an ever-present risk in the rugged world of top-flight professional football.

Clement might have understood if a broken cheekbone and damaged back after being flattened by a burly centre forward was all that was facing him at Rangers – indeed, a smashed cheekbone is restricting his options at present, with Danilo, his masked match-winner on Sunday against Hearts, still not ready for 90 minutes.

What Clement has in fact discovered is a more profound and harder to identify problem that goes deep into the fabric of the Ibrox club’s performance programme and will take time to address. “I am aware I am talking more like a doctor than a manager at this press conference,” said Clement yesterday as he delivered various updates on the medical condition of his players.

Some bulletins had been expected. Nicolas Raskin, after all, had been carried off in front of everyone’s eyes two days earlier against Hearts. The midfielder has sustained an ankle injury having just recovered from a calf problem. “The hope is it’s short term,” said Clement.

Danilo - with his mask in hand - scored the winner last weekend.

There was also the obligatory enquiry about Kemar Roofe’s health status. He has not been seen since coming off against St Mirren before the international break. What is his diagnosis? “We are still busy with that,” said Clement.

There was a slightly more surprising revelation about John Souttar. Somehow the defender has managed to pick up a muscle injury in the brief period since he spent the afternoon sitting on the bench against Hearts. "It's not a big one but he is not available for this game," announced Clement out of the blue.

“It’s the biggest puzzle I ever saw,” the manager added, with reference to the whole situation. Was he surprised by the general fitness of his players? “Next question, please,” he said.

No wonder Clement has begun a root and branch reform of the performance conditioning infrastructure at the Rangers training centre. It’s either that or turn to banned stimulants. “And we are not planning to do that,” he said. What he does intend doing is utilising the previously under-used cryotherapy chamber.

Standing in a barrel of freezing water is not everyone’s idea of fun but it’s a non-negotiable for professional athletes as far as Clement is concerned. He was surprised by the lack of use. “I used it myself and I know the effect,” he said. “It was very clear that it helps.”

Players now line up to use it after games. “(It) was not heavily used before,” Clement added. “We talked about that, it helps against inflammation and helps in recovery. After I said it once, everybody is going now after every game. We need to educate the players (about) what it is to be a top professional.”

Despite everything, Clement has still managed to make an impact in his short reign to date. He has drawn Rangers nearer to Celtic after two league wins from two, with the latest of these coming in the dying moments against Hearts after trailing for the majority of the game.

Injury crisis or not, Rangers can still count on their auxiliaries. Danilo stepped from the bench to secure all three points on Sunday with a fine header in time added on.

Clement stressed that the Brazilian - who is still recovering from a fractured cheekbone sustained while scoring against St Johnstone in September - isn't ready to play a whole game. "That's logical," he said. It also seems logical for the striker to play from the start against Dundee given Cyriel Dessers’ continued struggles.

The last goal Docherty’s well-drilled side conceded was as far back as 23 September, although they have played just three times in the interim due to postponements and an international break. Still, it's an impressive statistic when one considers that the last time Dundee posted three clean sheets in succession in the top flight, in early 1990, Derek Ferguson was playing on loan for them from Rangers - and it still couldn’t prevent them being relegated.

For that reason, no one can afford to get too carried away at Dundee, despite the team occupying the lofty heights of the top four overnight on Saturday after the 2-0 win against Livingston. They have a good record in recent years at home against Rangers with two wins and a draw in their last five league meetings, something Strachan might point out to Clement pre-match providing he can pick him out.

The Belgian has already spoken about how Strachan and his wife Lesley babysat for his eldest son, then just five, while the Clements were settling into life at Coventry. “He is now 30 years old! So it was a long, long time ago,” smiled Clement. “I also had a lot more hair. I hope he (Strachan) still recognises me! But it will be great to see him again."