Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland is expected to be sidelined for up to four months due to a 2cm hamstring tear, manager Derek Mc Innes confirmed. The 31-year-old forward suffered a recurrence of the injury he sustained while at Hearts last season, during which he missed nine weeks. Shankland came off early in Rangers’ 1–0 win over Motherwell on Saturday, with Ryan Naderi scoring the only goal in his absence.

Shankland is currently in London undergoing a scan to determine whether he will require surgery, which could add three to four weeks to his recovery but reduce the risk of future recurrence. The Scotland international will miss Rangers’ upcoming fixtures, including League Cup and Premiership matches, as well as Nations League games against North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Switzerland from late September to mid-November. Mc Innes described the blow as significant, noting Shankland had been finding form after scoring four goals in 10 appearances this term.

With Youssef Chermiti also out long-term with an ACL injury, Mc Innes is now without his top two strikers. He emphasized that others must step up, pointing to Kevin Kelsy, Bojan Miovski, and Naderi as options. Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday noted that Shankland would have scored multiple goals had he stayed on the pitch.

Meanwhile, winger Daisuke Yokota will miss the St Mirren match due to a groin injury, while Tuur Rommens is nearing a return.