Rangers captain Shankland off crutches, eyes January return

📰 Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland says he is off crutches after hamstring surgery and is targeting a January return and a Scotland recall in March. 📌 Key points 🩹 Shankland tore his hamstring against Motherwell in September and had surgery. 🦯 About four weeks on, he came off crutches this week. 📅 He is aiming to return around the turn of the year. 🏴 His next target is Scotland's March camp. 🔥 Rangers have won six in a row in all competitions without him. 📝 What happened 🩹 The 31-year-old captain tore his hamstring early in a 1-0 home win over Motherwell in September and went for surgery, saying he felt comfortable it was the best course of action. 🦯 Speaking on 7 October in his first interview since the operation, he said he was getting there slowly, was off his crutches this week, and that the hamstring was healing well. 📅 He said it was hard to put a timeline on his return but that there would still be a lot of football to play when he is back. On Scotland, he said he would get fit as quickly as possible and hoped to be part of the March camp. 😊 Shankland has missed the last three games but said it is easier to watch when the team keep winning. Rangers' other forwards have been sharing the load. 📊 By the numbers • Shankland's age: 31 • Time since surgery: about four weeks • Rangers' run: six straight wins in all competitions • Gap to leaders Celtic: two points 🔭 Why it matters Even without their captain and main striker, Rangers have found form, beating Celtic twice. A January return could give them a big lift for the second half of the title race. Rangers host Kilmarnock in the league on 10 October.