FILIP Helander has points to prove to his manager, his team-mates and his supporters. The biggest questions are the ones he must ask himself as he seeks to find the answers to salvage his career.
The defender has become something of a forgotten man at Ibrox but Michael Beale needs no reminding how good Helander can be on his day and what an asset he could be to Rangers.
It would be easy to write Helander off as a lost cause, to thank him for the memories and wish him well for the future. Beale won't consign him to the scrapheap just yet, however.
A knee injury sustained in a win over St Johnstone in September 2021 saw Steven Gerrard rule Helander out for the 'foreseeable future'. His return the following February was marked with a goal against Annan Athletic but just just four further appearances, plus one for Sweden, were made under Giovanni van Bronckhorst's guidance that term.
The last of those came away to St Mirren. After a lengthy period of treatment just before the break, the stopper was helped from the pitch as he hobbled straight into the darkest, most difficult period of his career.
Helander has not been seen for Rangers since. On current projections, his time out will stretch beyond the 12 month mark and there is a chance, with his contract due to expire in the summer, that he will not play at Ibrox again.
If that is indeed the case, it will be a sad end to a Rangers career that should have delivered so much more. The game has brought nothing but agony for too long now but life at home offers respite for Helander and his manager will be waiting for him, ready when he is.
“He’s probably two or three months away," Beale said. “In the interim he’s been blessed with twins which must be amazing for him.
“In this moment he’s taking the rough with the smooth if you like. He has those lovely moments when he can have that precious time with his new babies while going through his rehab.
“Listen, if the Fil Helander I know can get himself back then he’s a big asset to Rangers.
“He’s had two horrible years of injuries, I’ve not been in the building when he’s had them but at 29 I don’t think Fil Helander is done.
“I think Fil Helander has probably got to prove a couple of things to himself more than anything else.
“I mean that in the sense of returning and stay fit for a period of time. Hopefully that will happen towards the real back end of the season.
“In terms of his contract, at this moment in time there have been no discussions with Fil purely because of the length of time he’s been out.”
The times when supporters would debate the qualities of Helander and Connor Goldson in an attempt to decipher who was the best defender at Ibrox seem such a long time ago. Both were heroes of the 55 campaign but the Swede had to watch on as Goldson was a mainstay of the side that van Bronckhorst guided to Seville and the Scottish Cup.
Helander didn't kick a ball for the Dutchman this term. He may never pull on a jersey for Beale as the man who had a hand in his £3.5million move from Bologna is denied the services of an experienced campaigner at a time when he needs all the help he can get to rebuild and re-energise Rangers.
Had fate dealt Helander a different hand, he would undoubtedly have been part of the Beale blueprint. As it stands, he is fighting for his future at a time when his only influence on the conversation are past deeds.
“He’ll have a lot of frustration, a lot of regret," Beale said. “He missed the qualifying for the World Cup, then they don’t make the World Cup.
“He would have wanted to impact more with his national team. He missed the run to the final and the Europa League Final itself. He missed the Scottish Cup win.
“He’s not living over in Scotland happy that he’s not playing football. He came here to play football for a big club and he’s missed out on an awful lot.
“So I feel for Fil. He was signed to be a big player for this club and when he was fit he was outstanding.
“Myself and Gary took an Old Firm game, remember, and Fil scored the winner so I have fond memories of working with him and hopefully he can get through this and get back. Hopefully that will be the end of his injury issues.”
The troubles and travails of Helander feed into the wider narrative of an injury curse that has plagued Rangers this term. If the situation had not fluctuated between disruptive and disastrous at times, there is every chance that Van Bronckhorst would still be sitting in the seat that Beale now holds.
Every week since the start of the season, Rangers have seen tens of thousands of pounds go out the door for no return as the treatment room has swelled and the dressing room has been left decimated through Premiership struggles and the ill-fated Champions League campaign.
In time, Beale's hand will naturally strengthen. It remains to be seen if Helander will be part of his plans going forward and what impact the established names can have on Rangers once they are finally fit and able to pull on their boots once again.
“I see him in here everyday and it must be so difficult," Beale said. "We’ve got a few players in the same boat. If I look at the squad this season, no Helander, no Hagi, Roofe barely, Lawrence barely.
“They are all big, big players for Rangers. They are all arguably starters or definitely players in rotation of subs. I think it’s been a bit unfair.
“I’m probably in a job because of those scenarios where a player has got injured and the manager hasn’t been able to select him.
“You get dealt the results that come your way. At a club like this you need players like that fit and probably towards the end of the season we’ll be asking how many starts we’ve had from that group of players.
“Next season, if they are all fit all of the time, then we’ll be a much stronger team for it. You’ve only got to see the impact Kemar Roofe had at Hampden.”
