Daisuke Yokota had been one of the most consistently available players in his squad last season. Now, just weeks into his Rangers career, the Japanese winger faces up to three months out after being struck by the latest injury blow at Ibrox.
There is an increasingly familiar feeling around Rangers' treatment room. The winger will undergo surgery in London on Thursday after suffering a serious groin injury, with Derek McInnes confirming that the summer signing is expected to be sidelined for around two to three months.
The former Hearts' boss confirmed the news after Rangers' 1-0 victory over St Mirren, courtesy of a last-minute Bojan Miovski winner.
The setback is made even more frustrating given what Yokota managed last season.
Yokota's injury free season
The 26-year-old made 30 appearances in Germany's 2. Bundesliga for Hannover 96 in 2025/26, scoring five goals and providing four assists as they narrowly missed out on promotion. Hannover were sufficiently impressed to activate their option to sign him permanently from Gent before being sold for a profit to the Gers later in the summer.
More importantly for Rangers, Yokota had been remarkably dependable from a fitness perspective.
He missed only two league matchday squads throughout the campaign according to his season record, the November 25 meeting with Darmstadt and the reverse fixture in April.
The first came as a selection absence for Hannover's 3-2 home defeat, while the second was enforced by suspension after Yokota accumulated five yellow cards, meaning injury was not what kept Yokota out of the Hannover team last season.
He played 30 of their 34 league matches before arriving at Ibrox, being an unused substitute twice, making his latest setback feel particularly unfortunate.
It is a stark contrast to the picture now developing at Rangers, where McInnes is having to deal with one injury after another.
Yokota's problem was discovered after he was scanned on Monday.
"Once we got him scanned on Monday, it showed that he'd actually tore the muscle of the tendon in his groin,” McInnes revealed.
"It's such an unpredictable injury that the surgeon has decided that it needs surgery as well. So, he'll be out a significant time as well, probably in the region to two to three months as well."
Winger joins skipper on operation table
And the winger will not be making the trip to London alone.
Captain Lawrence Shankland is also due to undergo surgery after suffering a recurrence of his hamstring injury, with the pair scheduled to have their operations one after another.
"Unfortunately, he's not alone in London as Daisuke Yokota is getting a groin injury at operation tomorrow as well,” he said.
"They're actually getting done one after the other tomorrow. The surgeon's rubbing his hands, he's got two for the price of one. So, it's Shankland first, then Yokota."
Another blow in growing Rangers injury list
Yokota's absence adds another name to an increasingly significant Rangers injury list.
Shankland is already facing an extended period out after his hamstring recurrence, while Youssef Chermiti remains unavailable.
Tuur Rommens has also been working his way back from injury, leaving McInnes having to continually reshape his starting XI despite Rangers building momentum with four consecutive victories.
Jose Cifutentes and Ashton Scally are also unavailable.
The irony with Yokota is that his recent record suggested he was exactly the type of player Rangers could rely upon.
After his previous injury problems at Gent and Kaiserslautern, he managed a full season in Germany with Hannover and became an important part of their attack.
Hannover sporting director Ralf Becker praised the winger after the club made his move permanent, highlighting his goals and contribution during his loan spell.
Now Rangers must wait for him to return
The club's recruitment of Badredine Bouanani during the transfer window could prove particularly important, with the Algerian winger now likely to have an even greater role to play on the flanks.
Frustratingly for McInnes, Yokota had arrived from Hannover after demonstrating that he could play regularly at a high level, only for the injury curse that has followed Rangers through the opening weeks of the campaign to strike again.
Now, after just one Premiership start for Rangers, Yokota is facing surgery and potentially three months on the sidelines.
It is another unwanted reminder of just how quickly a season can change for Rangers and their new manager ahead of a massive Old Firm double-header with Celtic.
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