Rangers journalist drops honest verdict on "rusty" Gers star after weekend squad omission

Rangers defender Filip Helander ‘looked a bit rusty’ after making his long-awaited return from injury, according to senior Gers journalist Chris Jack.

The 28-year-old has endured a very frustrating season so far, with a knee problem restricting him to just 661 minutes of action across all competitions.

Helander’s time at Ibrox has been plagued by fitness concerns since his arrival from Bologna via a £3.5 million deal, limiting him to just 57 appearances in that time frame.

The 18-cap Sweden international got off to a promising start in the current campaign, though, starting three of Rangers’ opening five Scottish Premiership fixtures, bagging the only goal in their Old Firm derby victory over Celtic.

However, a knee injury picked up in September required surgery, keeping Helander out of action until he made his comeback against Annan Athletic in the last-16 of the Scottish Cup.

A goal and a clean sheet on his first start in over four months marked the 6 foot 4 monster’s return to action in emphatic fashion, but that joy was to be short-lived.

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Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst selected Helander from the off against Dundee United in their top-flight encounter in the following domestic fixture, and the step-up in opposition proved to be too much.

The Scandinavian giant was beaten far too easily in the air by United’s Ross Graham, allowing the defender to head home from a corner and earn the hosts a valuable point.

Helander was substituted after 73 minutes at Tannadice as Van Bronckhorst went in search on an equaliser and was awarded a match rating of just 6.2 by WhoScored, the second-lowest amongst his teammates.

And Jack believes the