Youssef Chermiti Faces Lengthy Injury Setback After ACL Damage

Youssef Chermiti faces a long and painful spell on the sidelines after suffering serious knee damage just days after Rangers rejected interest in the striker.

The 22-year-old Portuguese forward sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian, crashing into the advertising boards after a heavy challenge. The impact ended his afternoon. It may define his season.

Rangers later confirmed on social media that Chermiti “will be out of action for a significant period of time”, a blunt line that underlines the scale of the blow for both player and club.

A marquee signing when he arrived from Everton in September 2025, Chermiti was reported to be Rangers’ most expensive purchase since Tore Andre Flo in 2000. He was brought in as a statement of intent, a young centre forward with the profile and potential to lead the line for years.

He had begun to justify that faith. Capped at under-21 level by Portugal, Chermiti has made 43 appearances for Rangers, 30 of them starts, scoring 15 goals. Not just numbers, but a growing presence: a focal point, a target, a forward around whom attacks could be built.

The injury comes against a backdrop of transfer noise. Before kick-off against Hibs, manager Derek McInnes addressed reports that Turkish champions Galatasaray had made a move for the striker.

"I'm led to believe the club's valuation of the player hasn't been met," he told BBC Scotland, making Rangers’ stance clear. Chermiti, he stressed, was central to what he is trying to construct at Ibrox.

"It's no surprise that he's a player who's got a big (price) tag on him and he's got high potential, but thankfully he's our player and that will continue to be the case.

"We're trying to build a team here at the minute and we're trying to still bring additions to the team that helps us add to the good players that we've got, including Youssef.

"So it's not something we would encourage at any point."

Those words now carry a different weight. A player Rangers were unwilling to lose is one they now cannot use.

For McInnes, the challenge is immediate and stark: replace the goals, the physical presence and the tactical options Chermiti offered, while the club’s most expensive forward in a generation begins the long road back.