The pent-up angst of yet another long road to recovery weighs heavy on John Souttar, Michael Beale can see it in his eyes.
Luckless would be a modest assessment of the Scotland international’s struggles with injury down the years, and it felt sadly predictable that just a few months after joining Rangers from Hearts, he disappeared from view once more. This time, it was recurrence of an old problem that sent Souttar back to the operating table, and then to the sidelines once more.
Having already defied two career-threatening ankle problems before his 23rd birthday, sustaining a major setback so soon after arriving at Ibrox felt especially cruel. Family tragedy struck in August, too; his brother Aaron passing away aged just 42. It is, therefore, impossible to imagine just how horribly difficult the latter months of 2022 were for the centre-back, but his manager revealed he’s been a “fantastic” influence around the club, one he’s desperate to begin exerting on the pitch, too, in the coming weeks.
