Rangers dealt blow as Thelo Aasgaard a major injury doubt for Panathinaikos game | OneFootball

Rangers summer signing Thelo Aasgaard could be missing in action when manager Russell Martin and his men host Panathinaikos in the first-leg of the second qualifying round of the Champions League at Ibrox next Tuesday, according to the Scottish Sun.

Rangers signed the Norwegian international midfielder from Luton Town for £3.5 million earlier this month, but he picked up a knock in the friendly against Dunfermline on Tuesday afternoon, and he is now in a race to be fit when the Greek club come visiting.

Martin is sweating over the fitness of the 23-year-old Aasgaard, but the Light Blues are relieved that the Liverpool-born midfielder is not facing a longer time on the sidelines after the injury blow.

Rangers are already expected to be without attacking duo Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane due to injuries, and losing their summer arrival is the last thing they need.

Luckily for the Gers, Djeidi Gassama has finally joined them from Sheffield Wednesday, with the club officially announcing him yesterday after some initial delays, and he could now be thrown straight into action for the crucial game.

Martin will be desperate to win his first competitive game in charge of the Light Blues, and he will be hoping none of his key players pick up any knock in training after Nasser Djiga suffered a freak injury in his first-ever Rangers training session.

Emmanuel Fernandez, Max Aarons, Lyall Cameron and Joe Rothwell have also joined the Scottish Premiership club this summer as they look to stop Celtic and others in the three domestic competitions next season following a trophyless 2024-25 season.

Qualifying for the league phase of the Champions League would be huge, and victory over Panathinaikos across both legs of the second qualifying round is just the first hurdle as they will also need to progress from the third qualifying round and the play-off stage if they want to play alongside the big boys when the competition starts proper.