Nicolas Raskin’s recovery from injury will take longer than initially expected, Philippe Clement has admitted.

The Rangers midfielder was sidelined previously in the campaign but made a brief comeback in late October during Clement’s first few games.

However, he picked up an ankle injury in the 2-1 home victory over Hearts and has been absent again since.

A timescale has not been provided by the club regarding when Raskin is expected to be back to fitness, but it's certainly not a positive update for the 22-year-old.

Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Tynecastle tomorrow night, boss Clement said: “His injury will take a little bit longer than we hoped.

“I’m not a doctor. He needs to adapt to new exercises and we will see.”

The news comes as a big blow to the club and player, with the Belgium Under-21 international set to miss the Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen and the second installment of the Old Firm derby.

Meanwhile, Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence has opened up on the different role he played against St Mirren, calling it "enjoyable".

Philippe Clement's men ran out 2-0 winners at Ibrox thanks to a double from Abdallah Sima.

READ MORE: Tom Lawrence opens up on different Rangers role as he praises Philippe Clement

And the 29-year-old detailed the thinking behind him playing slightly further back than usual.

"It was a little bit deeper than I have been used to in the past," he said. "But the manager asked me to do it and I had done it a few times at Derby so I was more than capable. 

"I know the role and it was really enjoyable actually. The manager has been good with me about that.

"He is just trying to get me into a good rhythm. I said before in the game to him that I felt in a good place."