Manager Philippe Clement has explained why Oscar Cortes won't be available for Rangers' next match. 

The Colombian international was absent from training ahead of Thursday's UEFA Europa League opener versus Malmö.

The 20-year-old winger missed several weeks of football after 'an unlucky fall' at the start of the new season. 

He returned for the 1-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Dundee United on September 15, then featured as a second half substitute against Dundee last weekend.

Despite that, it appears Cortes will be ruled out for another period due to a further training injury. 

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The Rangers manager told reporters in Sweden: "We lost one player with Oscar (Cortes) in the training. In a tackle he got a bad knock and he will be out for several weeks so that is a disappointment.

“Because he was growing back to his best level and showing the player that he was, is and will be in the future. The rest of the squad stays the same."

Asked if there was a concern given Cortes' repeated injury struggles, Clement said: "No, it's duels. It's part of football, you have lucky and unlucky moments.

“It was not a crazy tackle but you have duels in football and things can happen and he has been really unlucky in the last couple of months with those things.

“I hope the bad luck for him stops now after this and the rest of his career will be the luck side but it is part of football."