Glasgow Rangers returned to winning ways after the first international break of the season as they beat St. Johnstone 2-0 away from Ibrox on Saturday.

It was a much-needed result for Michael Beale as the pressure was reportedly mounting on the English head coach after two disappointing results prior to this win.

The Light Blues had lost 5-1 to PSV as they failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League and were then beaten 1-0 by Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

This win against St. Johnstone may have bought Beale more time to prove himself in the dugout but the match was not without any frustrations, as striker Danilo suffered a concerning injury blow.

What's the latest on Danilo's injury?

Beale confirmed after the match that the Brazilian centre-forward fractured his cheekbone in the collision that led to the opening goal and that it now remains to be seen how long he will be out of action for.

The summer signing from Feyenoord bravely competed for the ball from James Tavernier's cross and guided a fantastic header into the back of the net to put the Gers 1-0 up.

However, in doing so, the 24-year-old collided with the opposition defender and has now suffered a knock that could see him miss out on the clash with Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday night.

It has not been confirmed that Danilo will not be available for selection at Ibrox this week, but it could be difficult for him to make such a speedy recovery after having surgery.

Therefore, this could open the door for another player to be handed an opportunity to catch the eye in the huge clash with Betis.

Rangers will be hoping to kick off their Europa League campaign with a bang after being knocked out of the Champions League and a night under the lights at Ibrox is the perfect place in which to do it.

Who could replace Danilo?

Beale could ease the blow of potentially losing Danilo for the upcoming clash in Glasgow by unleashing electric forward Rabbi Matondo from the start after another impressive showing against St. Johnstone.

The Wales international was named on the bench on Saturday but made the most of his opportunity off the bench as he scored the second and final goal of the game.

As per Sofascore, the former Schalke prospect won three of his four ground duels, completed 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles, created one chance, and scored a goal in just 17 minutes on the pitch. This shows that he dealt with the physicality of the match and was effective with what he did on the ball.

Matondo brilliantly raced onto a superb through ball from compatriot Tom Lawrence, before opening up his body to slot into the bottom corner of the goal as he showcased his pace to get in behind as well as his composure with the calm finish.

How many goals did Matondo score last season?

The 23-year-old has stepped up his game this term after a difficult first season at Ibrox following his move from German side Schalke in the summer of 2022.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst brought him to the Scottish giants after the attacker had scored nine goals in 23 Pro League starts for Cercle Brugge on loan during the 2021/22 campaign.

The Gers winger, who was once lauded as "electrifying" by former manager Ryan Giggs, failed to score a single goal in 28 appearances in all competitions throughout the 2022/23 season for the Dutch head coach and Beale combined.

He averaged a disappointing Sofascore rating of 6.74, which placed him 26th within the squad. Matondo registered four assists in 19 Scottish Premiership outings, whilst the Welsh speedster only produced 0.8 key passes per game for his teammates.

12 players provided more key passes per match than Matondo, a number that suggests the 2022 signing did not offer consistent quality as a scorer or a creator out wide.

You could, therefore, forgive any supporters who came into this campaign with the expectation that the youngster would not play a significant role, if any, on the pitch for the club.

How many goals has Matondo scored this season?

However, the £28k-per-week earner has already found the back of the net twice in seven outings so far this term and finally looks to be finding his feet in Scotland.

Matondo has averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.25, which is the seventh-highest within the squad, and contributed with one goal and one assist in four Premiership matches so far.

The Welsh wizard, who also bagged in the 2-2 first-leg Champions League draw with PSV earlier this season, has showcased his ability to provide a threat within the final third after failing to do so throughout his first year at Ibrox.

His recent form, and his cameo against St. Johnstone in particular, certainly suggests that he can ease the blow of Danilo's injury by coming into the starting XI.

The Brazilian attacker has scored twice in five Premiership outings so far, meaning that they have both contributed to the same number of league strikes this season.

This does not mean that Matondo would have to start through the middle of the park as a number nine, however. Indeed, he could come in and play in his natural position out wide, which would then allow Kemar Roofe to lead the line as a centre-forward and Sam Lammers could invert from the right into a number ten role to use his physicality.

His pace on the counter-attack could be particularly useful for the Glaswegians, as both of his goals this season have come from him running onto the end of a through ball after a quick counter.

Therefore, Beale must unleash the former Manchester City starlet on Thursday if Danilo is unavailable for selection.