Ryan Jack injury latest as Rangers boss Philippe Clement names 'impossible' hurdle after Scotland Euro 2024 call

The midfielder was a surprise call up for the Steve Clarke's squad that are heading to Germany.

Philippe Clement has hit back at claims from Scotland boss Steve Clarke that Ryan Jack is fit to go — with the Rangers boss insisting it would be ‘impossible’ to start the midfielder at Hampden today.

Jack, 32, was a surprise inclusion in Clarke’s 28-man provisional Euros squad having sat out the last two-and-a-half months injured. He returned to Clement’s squad last week but didn’t get off the bench as Gers rounded off the Premiership campaign with a 3-3 draw at Hearts. However, Clarke is adamant Jack - who’s only recent action was a 45-minute second-string run-out against Queen’s Park a fortnight ago - is in decent enough shape to warrant consideration for Germany.

“I know he has been fit at his club for a couple of weeks now,” said the Scotland gaffer. “They have chosen not to play him, that is their choice, but Ryan is fit and raring to go.” Clement would love to have Jack available too. But asked if the former Aberdeen ace was in the running to start against Celtic in this afternoon’s Scottish Cup Final, Gers’ Belgian boss said: “That’s a decision we will need to make once we see who else is fit.

“I can only say that until now he has just trained eight times with the team and played 45 minutes with the B team. So he is not fit, fit, to play a high-intensity game after being months out.

“The national team is something else. They don’t play Saturday, they play in a few weeks. That’s a totally different story. Looking towards the Final, I can say that you cannot start the game with Ryan Jack. It’s impossible.

"I wish we could as he was really good when he was fit in the moments when he was playing for me. As a player he has a lot of qualities but he’s not fit enough to start a game like this with the intensity around it.”