GERRARD COULD SIGN FREE AGENT TO PROVIDE COVER

STEVEN GERRARD will consider signing a free-agent right-back if James Tavernier is given bad news on his knee injury. The Rangers captain had to be substituted midway through the first half of Thursday night’s 4-3 Europa League victory over Royal Antwerp after being hurt in a block tackle. Gerrard admitted it was impossible to determine the length of Tavernier’s absence until a scan was completed, but expects him to miss at least the next ‘few’ fixtures. With back-up Nathan Patterson currently isolating after breaching Covid regulations, Leon Balogun came off the bench to fill in at right-back in Belgium. Gerrard has no problem in continuing to use the 32-year-old as a stop-gap solution but a move into the market may be necessary if Tavernier’s part in the title run-in is placed in doubt. ‘We’ll see what the scan shows in how long he’ll miss,’ said Gerrard. ‘He will obviously miss the next few for sure. ‘But I would have no issue playing Leon there. When we recruited Leon, we were aware he could play centre-back or right back. He did that in his German days. ‘We’ve also got Ryan Jack who has played right-back previously, too. We want to keep Jacko where he is. We’d be reluctant to push him back and that’s the same with Glen Kamara or Scott Arfield. ‘They are not the ideal options, so Leon is more ready for it. He’s got the physical capabilities of being able to adapt to play there. ‘At the same time, we might look outside and see what news comes back in terms of James’ injury. We might have to look at an emergency situation there. But, at the moment, I’m happy to go with Leon.’ Asked further about Tavernier, Gerrard (above) added: ‘It’s an area of the knee where this could be days, it could be weeks but it could be longer than that. ‘I don’t think any doctor can use their hands on this and tell you an exact date of return. ‘We need a positive outcome in terms of the scan. If it’s days and weeks, we won’t do anything. If it’s anything more severe than that, we might have to go in and look on the outside for an emergency situation.’ Striker Kemar Roofe was substituted in Antwerp after suffering a calf problem and will also undergo a scan. ‘I think in Kemar’s situation, we’ve got big numbers at the top end of the pitch,’ said Gerrard ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Dundee United. ‘We have Scott Wright raring to go. Ryan Kent came on and played well (in Antwerp) but he’s had a rest. We have Joe Aribo playing up a line and Ianis Hagi. We’ve got Greg Stewart and Jermain Defoe. So I’m more than happy that Kemar will recover from this injury and get back in maybe two or three weeks all being well.’