Rangers: Kemar Roofe fully focused on football after newborn son's health scare

Rangers striker Kemar Roofe insists he is fully focused on football and eager to play a part in the club’s Premier Sports Cup second-round match against Dunfermline Athletic on Friday night following a difficult week in which his child spent five days in hospital.

Kemar Roofe has opened up about his son's health care

The 28-year-old's newborn son was treated for bronchiolitis and a chest infection, with Roofe absent from the Gers squad that lost 1-0 to Dundee United last weekend.

The club later issued a statement clarifying his omission from the squad in the wake of speculation.

“It’s not nice seeing your eight-day-old with tubes and struggling to breathe after rushing them to hospital so yeah, it’s been a difficult week,” he said in a press conference.

"He’s better now; he’s at home, which is the most important thing.”

Roofe revealed he had hoped to be involved at Tannadice but after his son took a turn for the worse, the former Leeds striker pulled out.

"I tried to make the game last Saturday but his condition got worse during the hospital visit when I went in after training, so it was a bit much for me to play the following day.”

Asked if it was difficult to focus on football when his child was unwell, Roofe replied: “It’s two separate worlds for me.

"As soon as I go back home I’m a dad, but as soon as I leave the house with my Rangers kit on I’m a footballer, and that's the way I try to keep it with my family and my friends.

"My kids care about football and what I do but they're not fazed about anything. It's just normal to them."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.