Derek McInnes on Rangers' Injury Crisis and Transfer Plans

Derek McInnes admits Rangers are “playing with fire” at the back and scrambling for a new striker after a brutal injury double blow derailed his early-season plans.

Youssef Chermiti, the 22-year-old forward McInnes had built a chunk of his attack around, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the defeat by Hibernian. The timing could hardly be worse. The damage came just hours after McInnes confirmed a bid for the Portugal Under-21 international had been knocked back, with Galatasaray among the clubs linked with the former Everton man.

Now the conversation is no longer about his price tag. It’s about surgery, rehab and how Rangers cope without him.

Chermiti will see a specialist in London, with an operation expected as early as next week. His season, in any meaningful sense, has been ripped up before it even started.

“Obviously, really disappointing for ourselves,” McInnes said, underlining how central the striker was to his plans. “Selfishly, he's a big part of what we wanted to do this season and he's obviously a talented boy.”

The human side hit just as hard.

“For Youssef himself, obviously he's very young. It'll be difficult for him to accept and understand what's happened to him.”

The only consolation for the club? The calendar.

The injury has landed in the middle of the transfer window, and McInnes knows he has a small but vital opportunity to reshape his squad.

“The only saving grace from our point of view as a club is the fact it's happened in a transfer window and we've got the opportunity to react to that,” he said.

The rejected bid for Chermiti now feels like a subplot that belongs to a different week.

“The plan was for Youssef to stay in. Obviously it was a big number that was reportedly bid for him. I don't know exactly what the figure was. Obviously the club rejected that. It's neither here nor there now, to be honest. It's done.”

What matters now is the replacement. And that search has already started.

“We are obviously looking at maybe strengthening that area of the pitch. We're trying to be quite proactive with that and seeing what is available. Number nines are normally the most difficult ones to get.”

Chermiti is not the only casualty from that bruising afternoon against Hibs. Left-back Tuur Rommens has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a groin injury, leaving another hole in a squad McInnes already felt was light in defence.

The timing could scarcely be more awkward. Rangers are preparing for a high-stakes Europa League third-round qualifier at home to Jagiellonia Bialystok on Thursday, needing to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit.

They will go into that tie without a natural left-footed defender.

“Strengthening defensively and in wide areas was the priority,” McInnes admitted. “We don't have a left-footed defender in the building. We're keen to try and get that resolved as quickly as possible.

“With the numbers we've got there, we are kind of playing with fire. Defensively, it's always been a bit of a concern. I always thought we were short of numbers there.

“We all know what we need but acting really swiftly would help matters.”

The recruitment drive is now multi-layered. A striker to cover Chermiti. A left-back to cover Rommens. Wingers to sharpen the attack.

“We're trying to bring wingers in,” McInnes said. “It's in the hands of the recruitment team to try and get that over the line. Nothing's been finalised with anything yet.”

Names are already swirling around Ibrox. Brentford’s Jayden Meghoma, 20, is being linked with a second loan spell after his stint last season, while PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech has been strongly touted for a permanent move.

Asked directly about Driouech, McInnes acknowledged the talks are advanced but unfinished.

“We've been linked with a lot of players. That one's gained a bit of momentum and we are quite far down the line with that but I don't know where it's at currently. All these things are still ongoing.”

Injuries have forced Rangers into the market. The question now is whether the club can move quickly enough — and smartly enough — to keep their European ambitions alive and stop this early-season fire from spreading.