Rangers manager Derek McInnes has confirmed that Lawrence Shankland and Daisuke Yokota will both undergo surgery in London, overshadowing a dramatic 1-0 win over St Mirren secured by Bojan Miovski's 91st-minute winner.
Late Winner Masks Injury Woes
Miovski's late strike sent Ibrox wild and extended Rangers' winning run to four matches, keeping them five points behind Celtic ahead of Sunday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final. McInnes admitted his side were guilty of poor first-half finishing despite dominating the opening 45 minutes.
"Delighted, absolutely delighted," he said. "We were waiting for a bit of quality and a big moment in the game and thankfully Bojan comes up with that. It was a win we deserved. Let's be straight, we battered St Mirren in the first half. We were so guilty of passing up so many opportunities."
Shankland and Yokota Set for Operations
McInnes confirmed that Shankland will have surgery on his hamstring injury, with Yokota also undergoing a groin operation. The Rangers boss explained that the decision was made to minimise the risk of recurrence for Shankland, who has been ruled out into the New Year.
"Lawrence is due to get the operation tomorrow in London," McInnes said. "They've just made the decision that, as I thought they would do. Something Lawrence was likely to do as well, although it's the same level of injury, 2C hamstring in that area, we just feel, because it's been a recurrence really, that minimises, by getting the surgery, it minimises the risk of that happening again."
Yokota's injury was described as unusual, with McInnes revealing that scans showed the winger had torn the muscle off the tendon in his groin. "It's such an unpredictable injury, that the surgeon has decided that it needs surgery as well, so he'll be out at a significant time as well, probably reaching to two or three months as well with that," he added.
Miovski's Heroics and Pandur's Save
McInnes praised Miovski's professionalism and experience, noting his goals-per-minute record for both Aberdeen and Rangers. The manager also highlighted Ivor Pandur's crucial save from Fraser Taylor, which proved as important as Miovski's winner.
"Wee Fraser Taylor is my son's best pal, he's never out of my house. He would never get back in it if he had scored," McInnes joked, before praising Pandur: "I thought Ivor stood up and was calm in that instance."
St Mirren manager Craig McLeish praised his team's performance despite the defeat. "I thought we were great, I really enjoyed a lot about our performance," he said. "I think the least we deserved out of the game was a point but you don't always get what you deserve."
