Lawrence Shankland targets January return as Rangers recovery progresses

Lawrence Shankland hopes to return for Rangers in January after surgery on a torn hamstring, with the captain reporting encouraging feedback from a specialist. BBC Scotland reported on Wednesday that the 31-year-old striker's recovery was progressing, although he was not yet able to give a definite date for his comeback.

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Shankland said the hamstring was healing and that his readiness would depend on how it felt around three to four months into recovery. He expects to be available before the closing stages of the season, with plenty of matches remaining. January is his hoped-for return window, not a confirmed clearance to play.

The operation was Shankland's first as a professional footballer. He said he had been comfortable choosing surgery after it was presented as the best option. Rehabilitation has meant working in the gym while team-mates train outside, an experience he described as difficult. Rangers' six successive wins across all competitions have, however, made watching from the sidelines easier, and he wants that form to continue.

The injury followed Shankland's early withdrawal from Rangers' 1-0 home league victory over Motherwell. In its September 8 report, BBC Scotland said he had scored four times in his first 10 Rangers appearances of the season. Ryan Naderi replaced him against Motherwell and scored the winner, giving Rangers a third consecutive victory at that point.

Manager Derek McInnes explained in September that Shankland had suffered a two-centimetre hamstring tear, similar to an injury sustained at Hearts in January that had kept him out for nine weeks. At the time, specialists were considering whether to operate or allow the tear to heal without surgery. McInnes said an operation could lengthen the absence by three or four weeks but reduce the risk of another recurrence.

McInnes initially outlined a recovery period of three to four months. The September report also identified an international consequence: Shankland would miss Scotland's autumn Nations League matches. His latest update offers a more positive account of rehabilitation after the operation, but leaves the precise timing of his return dependent on recovery.