Rangers update on latest injury setbacks as Philippe Clement admits 'I have never had it in a team that I worked with'

What the Rangers manager said after the 1-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle

Rangers' Tom Lawrence was replaced after going down injured during the first half of the 1-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Rangers manager Philippe Clement admitted Jack Butland played a part in Rangers’ narrow win over Hearts at Tynecastle – but he also applauded the ‘keeper at the other end.

Zander Clark is operating under pressure following the return of Craig Gordon to the Hearts squad. The 40-year-old was a welcome presence on the bench against Rangers and he watched Clark pull off some good saves, including in the first half when he kept his side in the game with a stop with his foot from Danilo. He earned a fist bump at half-time from Gordon for that.

Butland saved brilliantly from Lawrence Shankland shortly before Rangers took the lead through Adballah Sima after 34 minutes. He also made a fine stop from Kyosuke Tagawa in the second half, as well as one from Kenneth Vargas.

“It’s crucial to have a good goalkeeper,” said Clement. “I need to say on the other side there was some important saves, even the chances with Abda who was flagged offside but I don’t think it was. From both sides it was good goalkeeping.”

Clement was not so complimentary about his own side’s finishing. Despite the unbeaten run under him having now stretched to 11 games, he stressed the need to be more clinical. He made the same complaint against Aberdeen after Rangers’ last away assignment.

“We need to kill off the game if we can and get the second goal,” he said.

“It would have been a different end to the game because it allowed Hearts to stay in the game and with every long ball or long throw, they were looking for the chance that drops to someone’s feet. We had five big chances but for me, with our qualities, it should be at least three goals. So more things to work on.”

The manager also provided an update on injury plagued midfielder Tom Lawrence, who limped off in the first half after suffering a muscle injury.

“We need to assess that tomorrow to make an assessment, that’s the downside,” he said. “It’s not good to change players in the first half. We’ve lost Borna (Barisic) before this game. It’s difficult more me in this moment because I have never had it in a team that I worked with, that so many players fall out injured.

“We also don’t have the time to train them and make them stronger because we have game by game by game. We need a lot of good work until January, until then we need to puzzle every time to find the best 11 for that game and make the right changes.”