Jordan Jones hopes to be fit for next month’s crucial Euro 2020 qualifier in the Netherlands after initial scans showed his knee injury isn’t as serious as first feared.
The Rangers star, who is ruled out of Monday’s Euro qualifier with Germany in Belfast, almost ended his season with a horror tackle at the end of Sunday’s Old Firm derby.
But it is understood the relieved winger has been told the ligament damage sustained while poleaxing Celtic’s Moritz Bauer is nowhere near as extensive as first thought.
It was feared Jones could face a minimum of four months on the sidelines and that his debut season at Ibrox could have been wiped out by a cruciate problem.
But doctors have now confirmed the 24-year-old suffered only a minor medial ligament tear which means he is set for a far more speedy return.
That’s good news for Rangers boss Steven Gerrard and O’Neill, who hopes to have Jones back fit for the final straight of the Euro 2020 campaign.
Northern Ireland travel to face the Netherlands in Rotterdam on October 10 before concluding the group with a November double header against the Dutch and Germans.
A source said: “It’s a huge relief for Jordan who left Ibrox on Sunday on crutches and was distraught at the thought of spending a very long time out of the game.
“He’s been told he could be ready to play again in between four to six weeks which is great news.
“He let himself down badly at the weekend but Steven Gerrard knows this is a player with something to offer.”
Keep up-to-date with all the very latest news, what's on, sport and everything else in Belfast and beyond with the Belfast Live app.
Only select news that interests you by picking the topics you want to display on the app's homepage. Plus, our enhanced user experience includes live blogs, video, interactive maps and slick picture galleries. Download it now and get involved.
Click here to get it from the App Store or here for Google Play .
