GVB finally confirms truth behind Souttar absences at Rangers | OneFootball

Giovanni van Bronckhorst appears to have confirmed that despite his bereavement and some fan belief to the contrary, stricken John Souttar has never been away on compassionate leave and has been more or less completely injured since he arrived at Ibrox.

Fans were frequently asserting Souttar’s absence to be on the grounds of bereavement and compassionate leave, but the only compassionate leave ever confirmed was Roy Makaay’s, with Souttar seemingly not away on emotional grounds at all.

The manager said:

In short, Souttar brought a major ankle problem from Hearts with him, and it flared up v Livi, hence he deeply struggled in that one and was unable to feature thereafter.

Following weeks of issues, it was decided he would have surgery, and will now not be available till January at the very earliest.

So what do we make of this?

Souttar has already become a slightly divisive player at Rangers, with some fans of the ‘give him a chance’ and ‘deserves our backing’ school, but many are already losing patience and feel shocked Rangers signed a player with a known injury.

We consider this poor diligence – Souttar’s fitness has always been infamously terrible, and regardless of his ability, his inability to remain fit for any length of time is an issue of concern.

Now we have to do without him till next year.

That’s not what we signed. Or… is it.