STEVEN GERRARD has ruled defender Filip Helander out of action 'for at least a few months' after undergoing knee surgery this week.
The Swede was stretchered off during the second half of Rangers' Premiership victory over St Johnstone on Saturday.
Gerrard admitted post-match that he was 'concerned' over the injury blow and he now faces being without one of his most important stars 'for the foreseeable future'.
"I’ve not yet spoken to Fil post surgery," Gerrard said ahead of the Europa League fixture with Lyon at Ibrox.
"It happened in the last 24 hours and I’m told he is still probably trying to get himself together after the surgery if you like.
"I will be speaking to him in the near future to check on his mental state and also to update on what the surgeon said to Fil from a one-to-one point of view.
"He is a big player for us, he has always been consistent and helped us since he came in the door.
"So he will be a miss and a loss but that’s the reason it’s always important to have four centre-backs – so you can cope when one is missing.
"In terms of how long he is going to be out for, it’s difficult to put a timeframe on. But he will certainly be missing for at least a few months."
There was better news on the selection front as Gerrard confirmed that Connor Goldson will return against Lyon after missing the Saints win due to Covid issues.
But playmaker Ianis Hagi won't face the Ligue 1 giants after he tested positive for the virus whilst on international duty with Romania.
Gerrard said: “There are conversations at the moment to try and get him back as soon as possible.
“After the news from the Scottish government over the last 24 hours about letting players in who have been in red-list countries, we are trying to get Ianis back as soon as possible.
“That’s out of my control so unfortunately I don’t have a day or time when he’ll be here. From my point of view, I need him back as quickly as possible."
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