Ross McCausland hands Rangers major injury boost as winger trains ahead of flying out for Benfica clash

Ross McCausland could feature for Rangers on Thursday night after joining full team training on Wednesday.

There had been fears the winger was facing a spell on the sidelines after a challenge from Motherwell's Dan Casey at Ibrox on Saturday left him needing crutches in the hours after the game. The initial prognosis wasn't good and with Oscar Cortes out long-term, Philippe Clement's wide options ahead of the trip to Lisbon looked thin.

But the boss has been handed a major boost as McCausland joined full training on Wednesday afternoon before the flight to Lisbon where they will face Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 clash in the Portuguese capital. It's unclear if he's fit to start but he should be available at least from the bench. Fabio Silva replaced McCausland against Motherwell while Scott Wright later came off the bench and either of those pair could start.

Speaking on the challenge from Casey, a furious Clement said after the game: "There is much too much intensity in that tackle and he caught him. We got a few red cards this season already with less intensity than this. But this was not even a foul or a yellow card so that is very disappointing Of course it is very difficult to make changes in the first half.

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can also follow our dedicated Rangers podcast page and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We've also entered the world of WhatsApp with our Rangers community up and running. Follow NOW to get your club's latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your