PHILIPPE Clement has expressed his sympathy with Danilo after it emerged the Rangers forward would not return to action from a knee injury until the end of the season.
The Brazilian, a £5.6m signing from Feyenoord during the summer, has been sidelined since the cinch Premiership win over Hearts at Tynecastle at the start of last month.
Clement, who has Ryan Jack and Tom Lawrence available for selection again and is hopeful Ben Davies will return to action next week, has admitted the 24-year-old is some way away from making his comeback.
It had been hoped that Danilo, who underwent knee surgery after the league game in Gorgie, would be able to feature following the winter break.
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But as he prepared for the Scottish Cup fourth round game against Dumbarton at The Rock today, Clement said: “No, it was a really severe injury. It’s a normal problem.
“We cannot speak about three or four weeks in a rehab like that. We will see. We are not going to force things for the last game of the season. That’s also stupid. It’s better to see that it’s 2000 per cent sure. Step by step, he is doing his rehab good.
“It was, let’s say, an unlucky tackle how he twisted his knee. It’s a pity because we was doing a lot of good things and he was growing. He feels really good here in the club and he felt good in the way of football.
“For me, it’s always a pity when you see a player getting injured. They’re all like my children so you don’t want to see your children hurt. Ryan and Tom are available, but not for 90 minutes. It’s about building the story with them.”
In the meanwhile, Clement has emphasised that, should the surface at The Rock pass an inspection this afternoon at 1pm, he will select his strongest team to play Dumbarton. He also expects his players to give it their all and advance to the next round, regardless of the playing circumstances.
“Dumbarton has been contacted,” he declared. “However, once the pitch is ready or frozen, we are powerless to alter its state. The field cannot be covered with a roof to prevent water from flowing over it.
It’s been captured on video. I considered going there to have a look at first, but I decided against it since I now knew that anything I did would have an impact everywhere. They
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“The pitch is really bad, but it is what it is,” Clement continued. As I’ve stated previously, I don’t want my players to make excuses. As I already stated, we will play on the parking lot if it is necessary for us to win games.
“The calibre of work I anticipate from my players? It’s not the same football if it’s on that level. You are aware that there are more errors and less fluid passes than usual.
However, you must mentally adjust to your roles as a coach and a player. It all comes down to winning that match and moving on to the next phase. That is the most crucial thing.
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