Steven Gerrard urges Rangers to ‘accelerate’ recruitment drive after injuries to Ryan Jack, Brandon Barker, Leon Balogun and Alfredo Morelos

Manager wants squad strengthened before window shuts in October

Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack could face several weeks on the sidelines.

Steven Gerrard wants Rangers to ‘accelerate’ their recruitment drive in the current transfer window after seeing his squad hit by spree of injuries during their 4-0 win over Dundee United at Ibrox.

Midfielder Ryan Jack and winger Brandon Barker could face several weeks on the sidelines with respective calf and hamstring problems which saw them limp out of the action.

Gerrard is more hopeful about the prospects of earlier returns for defender Leon Balogun, who pulled up with a recurrence of a quad injury during the warm-up, and striker Alfredo Morelos who was carried off on a stretcher with a badly cut knee.

Alfredo Morelos who was carried off on a stretcher with a badly cut knee.

But the Rangers manager made it clear he feels his team still requires further strengthening before the window closes on 5 October, hinting that he also anticipates more departures.

“You can only talk about the strength of our squad once the window has shut so ask me that question again on 6 October,” said Gerrard.

“You know and I know that anything can happen in terms of ins and outs. I have been really clear that we need to add so I think we maybe need to try and accelerate that.

“Going off what I have just seen in the treatment room, there is definitely going to be two, if not three, missing for a couple of weeks. We need to add pretty quickly so that our numbers are okay.”

Gerrard admitted he feared the worst when Morelos, heavily linked with a move away from Rangers this summer, went down after a late challenge from United defender Ryan Edwards which was not sanctioned by referee Kevin Clancy.

“I don't want to make headlines and say a kid should have got this or that (for the challenge),” said Gerrard. “I don't want to be that type of manager.

“What I would say is that I'd be very interested to see what the decision would have been from the officials had the shoe been on the other foot and it was Alfredo who had made that tackle.

“I was worried and concerned because it looked a lot worse than just a gash. Alfredo has come away a lucky boy and it's only a gash. The doctor is confident that if we manage it right, it should give him an outside chance for the Europa League game in Gibraltar on Thursday.”

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