Rangers boss Philippe Clement disputes Steve Clarke’s Ryan Jack fitness claim

PHILIPPE CLEMENT has admitted it’s impossible to start Ryan Jack against Celtic this afternoon.

The Gers midfielder, 32, was named in Steve Clarke’s provisional Euro 2024 squad in midweek, with the Scotland boss insisting he has been fit for three weeks.

Jack has played only 13 minutes since the fifth-round win over Ayr United on February 10.

Clement said: “I can only say that until now he has  trained just eight times with the team and played 45 minutes with the B team.

“He is not fit to play a high-intensity game after being out for months.

“The national team is something else. They don’t play tomorrow, they play in a few weeks. That’s a totally different story.”

Jack, who scored in  the 2022 final triumph over Hearts, is likely to start on the bench.

Connor Goldson, John Souttar, Rabbi Matondo, Oscar Cortes and Danilo are all out tomorrow.

Meanwhile, new signing Jefte is expected to be at Hampden to watch his new club in the Scottish Cup final.

He has penned a deal until 2028 and joins January loan capture Mohamed Diomande as permanent additions to a new-look Rangers squad.

Boss Clement is set to make as many as eight summer signings.

The Gers gaffer said: “Jefte is an exciting young defender and I’m delighted he has joined our squad so early in the summer period.

“He has already shown he is a player of great quality and potential and I am confident he can play a big part in our squad moving forward.

“I look forward to working with him.”

Jefte said: “I’m incredibly excited to join Rangers.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to take my career to the next level with such a historic and successful club.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my new team-mates, working with the coaching staff and continuing to learn and develop my game as a Rangers player.”

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