Steven Gerrard hits out at Malian FA | OneFootball

Coulibaly travelled to play in Mali’s African Cup of Nations qualifying clashes against Burundi last week but only returned back in Glasgow on Friday.

The midfielder will still be available for Sunday’s meeting with Hamilton Academical, however, and Gerrard has suggested his late return is through no fault of his own.

“Lassana got in today, which is a bit late for my liking but he’ll be fine for the weekend,” Gerrard told Rangers’ official website.

“You want your players here, resting and recuperating and getting ready for Hamilton so it just means he hasn’t been involved in the last couple of days of preparation for Hamilton.

“But he’s a fit lad, he’s been around since day one. He knows how we play, it’s not a big deal.

“But any manager will tell you the same, that when the players come back a few days before the fixture it’s not ideal. He’s done nothing wrong, he’s tried to get back as quick as he can.”

The 22-year-old moved to Ibrox on loan from Angers in the summer and has so far scored twice in 11 appearances for the club.