Youssef Chermiti Faces Long Recovery After ACL Injury

Youssef Chermiti faces a long road back after suffering serious anterior cruciate ligament damage – an injury that struck just days after Rangers had rejected interest in their record signing.

The 22-year-old forward was hurt in Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat to Hibernian, crashing into the advertising boards after a heavy challenge left him off balance and unable to protect himself. The impact ended his afternoon. It may yet shape Rangers’ season.

The club later confirmed on social media that Chermiti “will be out of action for a significant period of time”, a stark line that usually points to months rather than weeks on the sidelines.

It is a brutal twist for a player whose arrival was supposed to signal a new era of investment at Ibrox. Signed from Everton in September 2025, Chermiti reportedly became Rangers’ most expensive acquisition since Tore Andre Flo in 2000 – a statement signing, a centrepiece around which a new attack would be built.

He had begun to justify the outlay. Capped at under-21 level by Portugal, the striker has already made 43 appearances for Rangers, starting 30 of them and scoring 15 goals. Not yet the finished article, but clearly trending upwards, clearly central to Derek McInnes’ plans.

That is why the noise around him had grown. Before kick-off against Hibs, McInnes was asked about reports that Turkish champions Galatasaray had made a move for the forward. The Rangers manager made the club’s stance plain.

“I’m led to believe the club’s valuation of the player hasn’t been met,” he told BBC Scotland, underlining both Chermiti’s status and Rangers’ resolve. The message was firm: this was not a player they were looking to cash in on.

“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,” McInnes added, stressing that Chermiti sat at the heart of the project he is trying to build.

“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. Rangers were adamant they would not sell. Now they cannot use him at all.

For McInnes, the task is clear and unforgiving: replace the goals, the physical presence and the potential of a record signing, all while the rebuild is still in its early stages. For Chermiti, the challenge is even more personal – to come back from a major knee injury and reclaim the role that was rapidly becoming his own.