Rangers have had their worst start to a season since 1989, with new head coach Russell Martin setting an unwanted record for the worst start by any new permanent boss in 153 years of Gers history.
The team limped to a third successive 1-1 draw against St Mirren in Paisley yesterday, leaving Martin and his side already six points adrift of league leaders Celtic after just three fixtures.
Next Sunday brings the first Old Firm clash of the season at Ibrox, a game that already feels like a must-win, not just for Rangers fading title hopes, but for Martin’s tenure itself.
Yet the new head coach will almost certainly be without Hamza Igamane for both that showdown and Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League playoff second leg away to Club Brugge, where the Gers trail 3-1 following a horror show in the first leg.
Martin shuffled his pack for the trip to Paisley, deploying Thelo Aasgaard as a makeshift centre-forward with both Igamane and Danilo dropped to the bench, while Cyriel Dessers remains sidelined.
Martin had already confirmed that Igamane was not deemed fit to start due to lingering fitness issues, while rumours of a summer exit refused to go away after a rejected loan bid from Lille.
Danilo was introduced at the break with Rangers trailing, while Igamane was sent to warm up early in the second half. Yet Sky Sports co-commentator Neil McCann noted that the Moroccan did not warm up with the same intensity as the other substitutes.
When the decisive change eventually came, it was not Igamane who entered the fray but teenager Findlay Curtis, who rewarded Martin’s faith by netting the equaliser late on.
After the match, Martin revealed that Igamane had refused to come on, claiming he was injured.
That admission has all but ended Igamane’s Rangers career. The striker is reportedly unhappy after the board blocked multiple moves away during the summer, holding firm to their £15m valuation.
But Martin’s post-match comments have now done more than highlight the striker’s discontent, they have devalued him in the transfer market. By questioning his fitness and commitment in public, the manager has cast doubt over Igamane’s professionalism.
For any watching suitors, the message is clear: Rangers no longer hold the upper hand, which may have been Igamane’s aim.
There is no way back for Igamane after this. Once a player is accused of refusing to play, the trust between him, his teammates, and the manager is shattered beyond repair.
And with Rangers chasing a goal on Sunday, the sight of their supposed star striker unwilling to step onto the pitch sends a dreadful message about the state of the dressing room.
That mentality has already been questioned under successive managers, and Martin’s approach is only deepening the cracks. Dressing rooms thrive on unity, but players are now left asking whether their manager will turn on them in the media.
Internal discipline is one thing; public criticism is another. The result is a fractured squad, where some feel Igamane is being scapegoated while others see him as uncommitted.
Either way, the togetherness Martin has spoken of so often is nowhere to be found.
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Several senior players are already said to have seemingly voiced concerns about Martin to the board, while the likes of Nedim Bajrami and Óscar Cortés posted cryptic social media messages after being left out at the weekend.
This group has downed tools before when faith in a manager has evaporated, and the signs suggest the same pattern is emerging once more.
Igamane’s exit is now inevitable, but the manner of it could prove costly. What should have been a close to record sale is in danger of becoming another cut-price departure, the latest in a string of poor transfer outcomes at Ibrox.
Worse still, it has exposed Martin’s inexperience at handling high-value players and delicate situations.
For a club already on edge after years of underachievement, this saga feels like more than just a player-manager fallout. If Igamane has no future at Ibrox, then the uncomfortable question is whether Russell Martin does either.