When your luck's out, your luck's out and that's certainly the case for Kemar Roofe.
The Rangers striker is facing an extending spell on the sidelines after Michael Beale revealed the Jamaican is set to see a specialist over a troublesome calf problem that just won't clear up. It seemed as if Roofe was returning to fitness, booking his team a place in the Viaplay Cup final with an extra-time winner over Aberdeen at Hampden last month. He then missed the next four games before featuring in the Scottish Cup victory over Partick Thistle.
A goal in the 3-0 away victory over Livingston marked his second appearance in succession, but then it was back to square one after he was ruled out of the Viaplay Cup final and had to watch from the stands as Celtic picked up yet another trophy at Rangers' expense. After just six appearances all season, the 30-year-old may not make much more depending on what docs say as he bids to overcome his latest injury.
An attempt was made to at least make the squad for Hampden, but it was clear on the training pitch the day before that Roofe wasn't right. As much for the player's mental wellbeing as his physical condition, more drastic measures are now being taken to try and get him back involved for the longer term and end the repetitive injury cycle. Beale explained: "Kemar tried to train on Saturday but it was no good. Unfortunately with Kemar he’s going through a tough time at the moment and he will be away to see someone as we need to get to the end of this.
“He has a problem with his calf but there are one or two other things that could be leading to that that have been nagging. Me and him have had a real heart to heart. He’s a boy that I’m really close to. I want to see him get some light at the end of the tunnel so we’re going to get some advice on that."
Staying consistently fit has been an issue for Roofe since Steven gerrard signed him from Anderlecht almost three years ago. But it's not when you see his absences laid out that realise just how much football he has missed, and its no wonder this latest issue is proving tough to deal with.
Accumulatively, Roofe has been absent for over a year -383 days - during his time at Ibrox. Not including suspension, Roofe has had to sit out 56 games for Rangers during that time - a total of 5,040 minutes.
| Season | Injury | Dates | Days |
| 22/23 | Calf | Feb 12 - | ?? |
| 22/23 | Shoulder | Jan 15 - Feb 12 | 28 |
| 22/23 | Knee | Oct 24 - Jan 1 | 69 |
| 21/22 | Knee | May 18 - Oct 17 | 152 |
| 21/22 | Knee | April 21 - May 16 | 25 |
| 21/22 | Knock | Dec 6 - Jan 20 | 45 |
| 20/21 | Calf | Feb 18 - March 8 | 18 |
| 20/21 | Thigh | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | 14 |
| 20/21 | Calf | Sept 17 - Oct 19 | 32 |
A knee injury suffered at the end of the 21/22 season accounts for a fair chunk of that. That it happened just before the summer break meant he didn't miss as much football as he may have, but it's still a significant time out.
This is the third time he's suffered with calf problems as well. That was his first Rangers injury back in 2020, keeping him out for a month, then again for nearly three weeks the following year.
He will be hoping the specialist can get to the bottom of it this time and it's not another lengthy layoff. Next season is a big one for Roofe. H's out of contract in the summer of 2024 and with Beale planning a squad revamp, Roofe's injury record could count against him when it comes to making a decision on a new deal.
The pair are close, but this is a brutal business they are in and there's no room for sentimentality when to comes to getting value for money from your players. If Rangers can bring in another striker who's going to play much more minutes, they will. Not that Roofe won't be given every chance to prove his fitness, but time is something he doesn't have the luxury of and it's set to run out.
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