Rangers FC beat Livingston 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup but Joe Aribo could only play around 22 minutes of the match.
The Gers signed the midfielder this summer from Charlton Athletic on a free transfer and so far the 23-year-old has featured in 15 games across all competitions for the Ibrox outfit.
But on Wednesday, Joe Aribo was on the receiving end of a noxious challenge from Livingston’s Rickie Lamie which meant the Nigerian international required 20 stitches and had to be taken off the pitch.
The 23-year-old was replaced by Steven Davis and speaking after the match, Steven Gerrard revealed that Joe Aribo is likely to miss the next few games due to the injury.
“I will be very surprised if we see Aribo play before the International break,” Gerrard said.
“It is his first time out of London and he has settled very well.
“This will be a setback but knowing him he will bounce back, he didn’t even want to come off yesterday which shows his mentality.”
After the match, Gerrard was also asked whether Lamie should have received a red card for the challenge to which the manager said,
“I don’t think the player has gone in to intentionally hurt him but that in my book is serious dangerous play and in any other league it is a red card,”
The midfielder has been a key player in midfield for the Gers and so far Aribo has already scored 3 goals and made two assists. So his absence will undoubtedly be a big blow for Gerrard’s plans.
The next international break comes in mid-October and during this time, Rangers will play three games out of which one will be in the Europa League against Young Boys.
During the first Europa League match this season, Joe Aribo featured for just 8 minutes but his absence for the Young Boys match could be a big cause of concern for the manager since the Gers would be playing away from home this time.
