Scott Arfield insists 'naive' Rangers mauling not down to crocked Connor Goldson as he relishes Napoli and Ajax chance

Scott Arfield insists the loss of Connor Goldson was not to blame for the ‘naive’ capitulation which saw Rangers humiliated by Liverpool on Wednesday night. As Record Sport revealed earlier, Goldson could be facing a lengthy stretch on the sidelines after limping out of Ibrox on crutches following the 7-1 Champions League battering.

The Englishman has suffered a suspected severe tear in his left thigh with the club’s medical department bracing itself for bad news as they await confirmation from scans. Goldson’s long term loss would be another hammer blow for increasingly beleaguered boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst who is now under heavy fire after taking charge of the club’s worst ever European defeat.

His side collapsed spectacularly from the moment his defensive stalwart had to be replaced after pulling up in a challenge with Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez. But Arfield, who got the Battle of Britain part II off to a flying start with an early opening goal, has rubbished suggestions that Rangers can’t cope without Goldson’s influence at the heart of their back four.

And he refused to blame the 29-year-old’s untimely injury on the second half horror show which saw Jurgen Klopp’s side run riot in front of a disbelieving home crowd - smashing home six goals without reply. Instead, Arfield believes Rangers were punished for failing to do the basics as they were swept aside by wave after wave of Liverpool attacks.

Arfield said: “He's a massive player for us. He rarely misses training sessions, far less games. But you can't blame it all on that. In the second half we lost our structure - there was naivety. We needed to stay compact because these players can hurt you in a transition. At this level, you get punished for