Rangers star in quarantine and won’t play against Celtic

The Rangers star is in currently in quarantine and will not feature against Celtic in tomorrow’s Glasgow Derby at Parkhead.

Celtic have been hit harder by the global pandemic than most other clubs. Through the course of this international break, the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed, all tested positive while away with their national teams. On the other hand, Ryan Christie was placed in a 14-day isolation after it was adjudged that he had come in contact with Stuart Armstrong, who tested positive.

Of course, this has left the Hoops significantly weakened heading into one of the most important games of the season. And questions have been raised about playing international games in the middle of a pandemic. If results are anything to go by, then it has clearly increased the risk of players being exposed to the virus while away from the sporting bubble of their clubs.

And while Rangers have not yet reported any positive tests yet, their new signing Bongani Zungu was placed in quarantine. This means that he will miss Saturday’s Glasgow Derby.

Steven Gerrard’s said in his pre-match press conference:

"“Bongani Zungu is currently in quarantine so we sadly won’t see him for another 10 days or so. We have sorted him with gym equipment so he can train from home.”"

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As no news of a positive test has come out yet, this appears to be the South African quarantining after arriving in Scotland. Rangers had completed the signing on Deadline Day though, so perhaps the hold up was about work permit issues.

Whatever may be the case, Zungu is another player that Steven Gerrard’s side are set to miss on Saturday. And while Celtic’s problems heading into the game have been well documented, their Glasgow rivals do not seem in much better shape either, as it was reported yesterday that they could miss as many as five players before the South African was added to that list.

Of course, those injury rumours could be smoke and mirrors, and the players might turn up to play on matchday. This would be nothing new when it comes to a Glasgow Derby. So, Neil Lennon’s men must prepare for a full strength Rangers side.