'Step up and show why you are at this football club' - Rangers message after being hit by crisis

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has urged his players to embrace the challenge of facing some of the biggest games of their season without injured strikers Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos.

Rangers striker Kemar Roofe clutches his right knee in discomfort during last Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Already without 18-goal top scorer Morelos for the rest of the campaign because of a thigh issue which required surgery, Rangers have been rocked by the news that Roofe will be missing for at least the next two weeks with a knee injury sustained in last Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic at Hampden.

Roofe, who has scored 16 goals this season, will now miss the first leg of Rangers’ Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig next Thursday night and the final Old Firm clash of the season at Celtic Park the following Sunday when the Scottish champions will hope to extend their title defence.

Van Bronckhorst is hopeful that both Roofe and midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who suffered a hamstring strain at Hampden last weekend, will be back in time for the second leg of the Leipzig tie at Ibrox on May 5.

Zambian international striker Fashion Sakala faces the challenge of compensating for the absence of both Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos from the Rangers squad at a key stage of the season. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

But in the meantime, he hopes players such as Fashion Sakala can fill the void, starting with Saturday’s lunchtime Premiership fixture at Motherwell.

“It is all challenges, as I call them, to resolve them,” said van Bronckhorst as he assessed the impact of Roofe’s injury. “We have less players available in our attacking department but we still have quality. Players are out and now the players who are going to play have to step up and show why they are in this football club.

“With Morelos already out and now Kemar out for a couple of weeks, we have less options up front. As always, we just have to go on and make sure that we embrace the challenge. The atmosphere in the group is good and we just have to make sure that we pick the best team for every game.

"We are very positive although we have some injuries added to the list. All the players who are available are capable and know the task which is ahead of us.

“I think (Sakala) played well in that position in the last couple of games. That is why you have a big squad, for moments like this when players are not available. Other players have to step up.”