Rangers missing three defenders for Saturday?

Rangers’ preparations for the season-opening clash with Hamilton at Ibrox have been rocked by the emerging revelation that three defenders could be missing for the visit of Martin Canning’s men.

Danny Wilson, Clint Hill and Matt Crooks will all reportedly be unavailable through suspension, injury and long term injury recovery respectively, limiting manager Mark Warburton’s selection options considerably.

If these players are indeed out for the start of Rangers’ Premiership campaign, it leaves only Rob Kiernan as the sole senior defender remaining available for Warburton’s back line on Saturday, and if not quite ‘disaster’, it is extremely distressing given the defence’s ailing fortunes at present with everyone fit.

It suggests a major reshuffle will be required at the rearguard, although it will take a smarter man than me (called Mark Warburton) to figure out exactly what the best solution will be.

It would not be a shock to see Lee Hodson alongside Kiernan as the pairing, or indeed a call up from the youth ranks for this one.

We will wait to see just how badly depleted Rangers are at the back come Saturday, or if the likes of Hill and Crooks will be fit in time.

We can only hope…