Rangers have been dealt a major injury blow as Danilo has been ruled out of action for four months, according to a report.

The Scottish Sun claims the Brazilian could be on the sidelines until April after scans revealed surgery will be required.

The striker - who arrived under Michael Beale in the summer for a whopping £6m fee - suffered medial ligament damage in the Ibrox club's win over Hearts last Wednesday.

Philippe Clement was hopeful Danilo would be in line to make a return after the winter break.

However, it's now been claimed this will not be the case, with the news much worse than initially feared.

The report states that the player has been warned by specialists that he will need to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation process.

It's a huge blow to Danilo himself, whose early Rangers career has been rather stop-start after previously suffering a fractured cheekbone against St Johnstone in September. This forced the 24-year-old to wear a protective face mask upon his return. He has scored eight goals so far this season.

Addressing his injury on social media last week, he said: “Out of necessity not able to do what I love the most for a period of time. I’ll support the team from a distance for the upcoming games.

“For now I need to focus to heal my knee and getting back as soon as possible. Thank you all for the concern, I will come back stronger.”

READ MORE: Rangers learn Jose Cifuentes red card appeal fate ahead of Viaplay Cup final

Meanwhile, Rangers have lost their appeal to overturn Jose Cifuentes' red card that he was shown against Dundee.

The Ecuadorian was sent off by Kevin Clancy following a VAR review after he caught striker Amadou Bakayoko late in the challenge.

He was originally booked before the decision was upgraded to a red and the Ibrox side decided to appeal the decision.