Madjid Bougherra will reportedly be forced to watch Rangers kick off their crucial Champions League match against Stuttgart tonight as punishment for his late return from international duty.
The Algerian enjoyed World Cup success but failed to arrive back when he was supposed to, leaving manager Walter Smith without an explanation until yesterday afternoon.
It’s the third time the central defender, one of Smith’s most important and influential players, has been late.
Now the Daily Record is reporting that teenager Danny Wilson will make his second Champions League start in place of Bougherra, who will warm the bench and could make an appearance later on.
Speaking yesterday Smith admitted that he hadn’t been offered an explanation from Bougherra about the delay in returning from the World Cup qualifier ahead of such a crucial match.
But he added: "He has never been anything other than committed when he's been playing for Rangers. And this is not just a problem that Rangers encounter. This happens to a fair number of clubs when players go away and come back a little bit later than they should.
"It has happened now and it has happened a couple of times before.
"It's just up to me to decide what we do about it and I'll do that. But you'll just have to wait and see what that is."
