Michael Beale addresses Rangers fans after 'not nice' period as he issues call to arms for Real Betis crunch

Rangers gaffer Michael Beale admits he's gutted to lose Brazilian striker Danilo who suffered a smashed cheekbone against St Johnstone after a 'not nice couple of weeks'.

The £6 million man scored Rangers' opening goal in their 2-0 victory but in doing so was forced off after a nasty clash of heads with Saints defender Liam Gordon. Beale revealed afterwards that Danilo needs surgery and says he's unsure of how long he'll be out for. But he's disappointed the former Feyenoord ace will miss their Europa League opener against Real Betis on Thursday night.

After goals from Danilo and Rabbi Matondo gave Beale a much needed three points in Perth, he said: “It was an excellent goal and a great finish from Dani. He has fractured his cheekbone so we’ll have to wait and see how long he’s out for. He’s away to hospital and hopefully will be operated on.

“It was a disappointing moment for the team. Dani has had a couple of things going on but got himself fit over these two weeks. He scores a goal, which was a big moment for him, then he gets injured. I asked the doc about Danilo and the news wasn’t great.

“In terms of the timescale we need to wait. But you could see by the swelling straight away that it was a bad one. There was nothing in it, both boys were challenging for the ball. It was a nice goal and I was delighted with it. Dani was brave and he’s got that in the box. He’s that type of striker with his movement.”

Beale was feeling the heat going into the game after being knocked out of the Champions League and losing at home to Celtic. The Gers boss badly needed a victory in Perth and - despite a less than scintillating performance - the got the three points he craved thanks to Danilo’s header and Rabbit Matondo’s late strike.