Rangers news latest as Dessers and Sima included in AFCON squads while Ianis Hagi return addressed by Clement

Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima have been rewarded for their recent Rangers resurgence with call-ups to for their respective provisional national team squads for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations - but it could be a headache for Philippe Clement.

Dessers has netted eight times for the Light Blues and has hit a recent bit of form with a goal in the historic victory over Real Betis in Spain in the Europa League and he led the line in the Viaplay Cup final victory against Aberdeen at Hampden Park.

And Nigeria boss Jose Peseiro has included him in his initial group for AFCON, which will be held in the Ivory Coast early next year, as the former Cremonese man looks to add to the four international caps he has won. However, it is a mammoth 40-man squad which is to be whittled down to 27 players by the January 3 deadline and there is no place for Rangers defender Leon Balogun, capped 46 times.

Light Blues team-mate Sima has been, along with goalkeeper Jack Butland, the standout summer signing for Rangers with the on-loan Brighton man netting an impressive 14 times and will also be hoping to add to his four caps for Senegal. The Lions of Teranga are the defending champions and are expected to go deep into the competition.

However, if Dessers and Sima do both make the final cut then it won’t be good news for Gers as they battle Celtic - set to be without key players for the Asian Cup at the same time - for the Scottish Premiership.

The competition takes place from January 13 to February 11 and while there is a top flight winter break, it could potentially see the players miss up to five fixtures - the Scottish Cup tie at Dumbarton as well as the rearranged league clash against Hibs and Premiership games against St Mirren,