Exclusive: Philippe Clement to take time introducing £17.5m quartet who could flip Rangers’ season.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has committed to end the club’s injury curse, which has held it back in recent seasons.

But even the Belgian’s’magic stick’ is having trouble banishing the ghosts of Rangers’ chronic squad and transfer budget mismanagement over the previous few years.

Rangers’ injury issues predate Philippe Clement’s arrival at Ibrox and continue to be a problem during his stint as manager.

While there are uncertainties around the likes of John Souttar and Tom Lawrence ahead of the visit to Aberdeen, the scenario surrounding the £17.5 million foursome continues to perplex supporters.

Ridvan Yilmaz (£5 million).

Rangers manager Philippe Clement acknowledged Ridvan Yilmaz’s return to training and potential inclusion in the first-team squad.

The Turkish international agreed a £5 million contract to join Rangers from Besiktas in 2022, but injury has plagued the 23-year-old’s progress.

Ridvan has not been seen since suffering a major injury and being stretchered off in the Champions League qualification defeat to Dynamo Kyiv.

Clement believes Ridvan is making progress, but the club plans to gradually integrate him back into the team.

We expect the left-back to return to the matchday squad before November’s international break.

“(Ridvan) is not yet in the selection because Ridvan trained with the first team for the second time and came out with a serious injury,” Clement remarked ahead of the FCSB game.

“It’s too fast for him to put him in a game but he’s in a positive way.”

Danilo (£6 million)

Danilo is among Rangers’ most disappointing acquisitions.

After Alfredo Morelos, Rangers announced the £6 million purchase of the Brazilian striker from Feyenoord, and we all expected huge things from the Eredivisie champion.

However, injury has hampered Danilo’s 16-month stay in Glasgow, with a face fracture and two different knee problems limiting his time with the first team.

At the same time, Danilo’s lack of playing time has put more pressure on Cyriel Dessers, with Rangers’ offensive options restricted over the previous two seasons.

Dani is back in Rangers colors, scoring for the B team, and given the severity of prior injuries, Rangers boss Clement said the club will wrap him in cotton wool.

The Brazilian still has a long way to go, but Clement believes the striker will be ‘vital’ this season.

“I was at the second-team game yesterday,” Clement explained. “I’m watching the players, the young boys, and Danilo score a goal.

“Getting back in fitness, he still has a long way to go.

“Those are also good things that fans may not be aware of right now.

“Yes that’s normal because Dani still has a way to go but he’s going to be also important in that way on the things we want to achieve the next couple of months.”

Rabbi Matondo (£2.5 million)

Rangers’ signing of Rabbi Matondo in 2022 was expected to prevent competition from the Premier League and other local teams.

Despite Matondo’s blistering pace and questionable ball control, the winger has just not played enough since his arrival.

Matondo, a £2.5 million transfer from FC Schalke, has suffered with a series of injuries that have hampered his development in a variety of ways.

When the winger does play, he just does not contribute enough, since Rabbi’s style demonstrates a lack of application, confidence, and responsibility.

There have been moments, of course, but for the money spent, Rangers haven’t seen nearly enough of the winger, who hasn’t been seen since injuring his hamstring in the Old Firm defeat to Celtic.

Matondo, who was given an eight-week prognosis in September, has lately teased his comeback on social media.

Do not anticipate much from Rabbi until after the international break, and even then, keep expectations to a low.

Something tells us Rangers may be regretting not loaning the winger to the English Championship prior to this new injury setback.

Oscar Cortes (£4 million).

Oscar Cortes exemplifies the Rangers’ persistent injury issues.

The Colombian star is only 20 years old, but he was signed to make an immediate influence and has yet to make an impact owing to two significant injuries.

The first, which occurred seven games into a loan transfer last season, may have been a warning sign.

Nonetheless, Rangers recruited Oscar Cortes on a £4 million loan-to-buy deal from RC Lens, and the winger was injured on the first day of the new season.

After re-entering the first squad, an impact injury in training has left the winger out indefinitely, with Rangers being tight-lipped on the Colombian’s recovery time.

Rangers manager Nils Koppen said they are investigating Cortes’ injuries and have no clear comeback date for the forward. The trade has been heavily scrutinized.

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