'Difficult to accept': 52-goal former Rangers hitman handed fresh injury blow as timeline revealed for return
The ex-Rangers striker has had an injury season following his departure from Ibrox.
Former Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers has been forced to head home early from Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations campaign after suffering a fresh injury blow.
The 31-year-old striker departed Ibrox to sign for Panathinaikos on deadline day in a deal worth a reported £3.5million, with former head coach Russell Martin signing Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti in the final days to reshape his Rangers frontline.
Bought by ex-boss Michael Beale ahead of the 2023/24 season, the frontman endured a frustrating start to his time in the Scottish Premiership and failed to find the net for over a month following his arrival. Despite being seen as a polarising figure during his time in Glasgow, the former Feyenoord striker left the club with an impressive tally of 52 goals in all competitions.
And he has continued to produce in front of goal in the opening weeks of his time with Panathinaikos, bagging the winner on his first start for the club during a 1-0 win over Athens Kallithea FC, before scoring again just four days later during a 1-1 draw with champions Olympiacos. Shortly after his blistering start to life in Greece, though, Dessers suffered an ankle injury in the 4-1 Europa League win against Young Boys, which ruled him out of action for over two months.
Returning to fitness in late November, he scored the winning goal for Rafael Benítez’s side in a 1-0 win over NFC Volos. He was subsequently included in Eric Chelle’s Nigeria squad for the African Cup of Nations a month later.
However, just two days before their final group game against Uganda, he was struck down with an unspecified injury in training and forced to miss his nation’s 4-0 win over Mozambique in the last 16 of the tournament. According to reports in Nigeria, medical evaluations have now confirmed that Dessers faces up to 12 weeks out with the problem, and the striker took to social media to share his disappointment.
"Unfortunately, I sustained an injury at AFCON,” he posted on his official Instagram page. “It’s extremely difficult to accept that I will miss the remainder of the tournament and an important period at Panathinaikos. I will be our biggest fan in these weeks, go full in rehab and hopefully we can celebrate a win and goal together soon."
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