Turkey have released a statement confirming that Rangers full-back Ridvan Yilmaz has been sent home from international duty. Ridvan sustained a thigh injury during Turkey’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Hungary at Puskas Arena in Budapest on Friday (23 March). Manager Vincenzo Montella said he would wait to make a decision on the defender, and it has now been confirmed he has been sent back to Rangers. A statement on the Turkish Football Federation’s website [23 March] read:

“A mandatory change has been made in the candidate squad of our National Team, which will face Austria in a special match on Tuesday, March 26th. “Our defender Rıdvan Yılmaz was removed from the candidate squad due to the injury he suffered in his upper left thigh muscle in the match against Hungary yesterday.”The immediate concern when Ridvan limped off the field against Hungary was whether he would be fit for the upcoming Old Firm clash. That fixture could well settle the Scottish Premiership title race and the Gers will therefore want every senior player available. The Scottish Sun reported earlier on Saturday (23 March), prior to this statement, that the full-back was considered a “major doubt”. It is now over to the Rangers medical staff to assess Ridvan and determine what course of treatment is needed to get him back up to speed as soon as possible. Ridvan has really stepped up the level of his performances since around the start of the January transfer window, at which point he was linked with a move away from Ibrox. Having become a regular at left-back, Philippe Clement will of course be desperate to have him available for the Celtic showdown on 7 April. All Rangers can do at this point is await Ridvan to return to Glasgow and undergo tests, before a further update is then shared.

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