Glasgow Rangers were hit with a significant blow at the start of last month when Lawrence Shankland sustained a hamstring injury in a Scottish Premiership clash.
The Light Blues captain went down in the first half against Motherwell at Ibrox and had to be substituted, with Ryan Naderi coming off the bench to score the winning goal in the match.
It has since been revealed that he had a tear in his hamstring that required surgery, unfortunately, and he was ruled out for up to four months.
The Scotland international, therefore, is not expected to be back in contention to play for Derek McInnes‘ team until the second half of the 2026/27 campaign.
Why Shankland’s Rangers career could be over already
Shankland’s long-term absence through injury could mean that his career at Ibrox before it really began, as it provides other players with a chance to establish themselves ahead of him in the pecking order.
The Scottish marksman arrived as a marquee signing in the summer, after scoring 16 league goals for Hearts last term, but he has only scored two non-penalty goals in ten matches for the club so far.
A return of three goals in five Premiership matches is impressive on paper. However, Shankland’s only two non-penalty goals came in the same game, against Falkirk, and he has struggled in general play throughout his appearances.
|
26/27 Premiership |
Lawrence Shankland |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
xG |
2.48 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Duels won per game |
1.8 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
31% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
27% |
The Scottish striker has not offered enough mobility or physicality in the number nine position for the Light Blues, losing the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.
Meanwhile, Ryan Naderi has produced two goals and one assist in three league starts and won 44% of his total duels, winning 7.3 duels per game on average.
Shankland may find it a struggle to get back in the team on the other side of his injury due to Naderi’s form and the £9m signing of Kevin Kelsy, who has produced one goal and one assist already.
The Rangers youngster who could take Shankland’s shirt
Should Shankland slip down the pecking order and find his Gers career over already, due to the players ahead of him, his number seven shirt could become available in the not-too-distant future.
The number seven shirt is not one that is typically associated with centre-forwards and there may not be any danger of Naderi or Kelsy trying to take the number from him, but there may be wingers and attacking midfielders with their eyes on the shirt.
One player who could be eyeing up the shirt for the future could be academy graduate Findlay Curtis, who has emerged as a regular first-team player for McInnes this season and currently wears the number 52.
The young whiz first broke through under Russell Martin at the start of last season before he went out on loan to Kilmarnock in the second half of the Premiership campaign, scoring five goals in 14 games during his loan stint.
|
Recent Rangers number sevens |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Seasons |
|
Lawrence Shankland |
2026/27 – current |
|
Andreas Skov Olsen |
2025/26 |
|
Oscar Cortes |
2024/25 |
|
Ianis Hagi |
2019/20 – 2023/24 |
|
Jamie Murphy |
2018/19 |
|
Dalcio |
2017/18 |
Coming back to Ibrox this summer, Curtis has featured in all 13 of the club’s matches in all competitions, but he has yet to deliver a goal or an assist for the Gers.
His lack of goal contributions in the opening months of the campaign should not be a major concern, though, because he is a 20-year-old talent who is still learning.
Curtis is also unfortunate not to have registered at least one assist in the Premiership for the Scottish giants, as he has created 11 chances and two ‘big chances’ for his teammates, who have not made the most of his creativity.
His teammates did make the most of his creativity in a Scotland shirt during the current international break. The winger registered an eye-catching four assists in Scotland U21’s 5-2 win over Azerbaijan last week.
The 20-year-old forward, who has scored three goals and provided three assists for the Gers at senior level, started as a right-sided number ten and ran the show with his sublime play in possession.
Curtis is a direct and exciting attacking midfielder, who can play centrally or on either flank, and looks primed to be a future star for Rangers when he develops more and adds consistency to his game.
Because Shankland, who turned 31 this year, may not have a long-term future as a regular at Ibrox, the Gers academy graduate could look to take the number from him further down the line as a player who is more of a natural number seven.
