John Souttar ignites Rangers return from surgery in Portugal with key step as he fights to star vs Panathinaikos
Souttar finally went under the knife to have repair work carried out on an ongoing hernia issue in London last week
John Souttar began light jogging on Thursday as he bids to return to fitness in time for Rangers Champions League showdown with Panathinaikos.
Record Sport broke the bombshell news last night that the 28-year-old is already racing against the clock to be available for next month's crunch qualification double header - after delaying surgery to join up with Scotland 's squad for friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Souttar finally went under the knife to have repair work carried out on an ongoing hernia issue in London last week - three weeks after the end of his club's domestic season.
He is understood to be going through a period of rehabilitation in Portugal with the aim of being given the green light to face the Greeks in the first leg of a potentially £60million tie with the Greeks at Ibrox on July 23.
But the decision to push the routine procedure back until after those meaningless internationals has caused outrage among sections of the club's support - and will almost certainly have equally surprised new boss Russell Martin.
It's understood the Ibrox club's own medical department signed off on the decision despite the obvious risks involved to Souttar's summer schedule.
Experts say the standard recovery period following a hernia op varies between four and six weeks, assuming no setbacks along the way.
Which means, even without any unexpected complications, Souttar is likely to be touch and go for Martin's first game since his appointment as head coach.
We can reveal Souttar was operated on on Wednesday of last week, after returning to the UK following a 4-0 romp in Vaduz on Monday night.
He sat on Steve Clarke's bench for that game as an unused sub but did play the full 90 minutes of a 3-1 defeat against Iceland at Hampden three nights earlier, scoring Scotland's only goal.
Club sources insist Souttar should still be able to face Panathinaikos so long as his recuperation goes to plan without any hitches.
And the initial indications appear to be positive given that Souttar was able to start jogging yesterday - just one week after climbing off the surgeon's table.
But it still seems like an extraordinary gamble given the player's back catalogue of injury issues, which have plagued his career and limited his appearances in a Rangers shirt to just 68 games in his three seasons at Ibrox.
When fit, Souttar is regarded by most as the club's most dependable central defensive option and his partnership with Leon Balogun became a cornerstone of the side which interim boss Barry Ferguson oversaw during the final three months of last season.
But veteran Balogun was allowed to leave as a free agent after the club decided against offering him a new deal and Souttar - who has one year left to run on his own contract - has also not been tied down long term.
If the former Hearts defender fails to beat the clock over the next five weeks, then new boss Martin could be left scrambling for defensive cover.
A major overhaul of the squad is expected over the close season but, as things stand, Martin's only recognised options in central defence are Robin Propper, Clinton Nsiala, Ben Davies and Leon King.
Propper is on the brink of a quick-fire return to Twente Enschede after a dismal first season in Scottish football, while Nsiala also failed to nail down a regular place throughout his first campaign at the club.
Davies and King, meanwhile, will return to Auchenhowie on Monday morning after falling so far out of the first team picture that they farmed out on loan last term.
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