I CAN BE MIDFIELD STER

Dujon ready to show he can cut the mustard as an Ibrox regular

- DAVID MCCARTHY

DUJON STERLING'S Rangers career has been more stop than start.

But the former Chelsea kid, whose calf injury in pre-season prevented him hitting the ground running at Ibrox, may just have played himself into Philippe Clement's starting line-up on prize-giving day at Hampden come Sunday.

The Belgian is down to the bare bones in midfield with Ryan Jack, Nico Raskin and Tom Lawrence forming a queue outside the physio's room while Kieran Dowell is clearly not in his plans.

The last thing Clement needed on Saturday, then, was the red card Jose Cifuentes collected for a foul on Dundee's Amadou Bakayoko, which will see him banned for the Viaplay Cup Final unless a successful appeal is launched. 

Before the Hampden showpiece with Aberdeen, though, comes Seville for a final Europa League group stage clash with Real Betis in which only a win will guarantee progression into the knockout stages.

That Rangers are in jeopardy of falling into the Europa Conference League is remarkable, considering they've beaten Betis at Ibrox and taken four points from Sparta Prague. But one point from a possible six against bottom seeds Aris Limassol means everything is on the line in the city where Gers lost this competition's final to Eintracht Frankfurt 19 months ago.

Clement will have Cifuentes available for that one, which will most likely mean a return to the bench for Sterling.