PEDRO Caixinha last night revealed that Danny Wilson could be sidelined with a knee ligament injury when Rangers play in their opening Europa League qualifier next season.

Caixinha, who this week told both Clint Hill and Philippe Senderos they would be leaving Ibrox in the summer, confirmed that Wilson will visit a specialist in London next Tuesday.

The defender, who came off in the second half of his side’s Ladbrokes Premiership match with Partick Thistle at Firhill on Sunday, has been ruled out for the last three games of the 2016/17 campaign.

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However, Caixinha, whose team clinched a return to Europe after a six year absence with their 2-1 win over Thistle, admitted there was a possibility the player may not be fit for their first qualifier at the end of next month.

If that is the case, then it will increase the need for the Portuguese coach to bring in centre backs during the close season greatly as only David Bates, who is just 20, and Rob Kiernan will be left in that position when Hill and Senderos depart.

The Glasgow club will get their new campaign underway when they play in the first leg of the first qualifying round of the Europa League on June 29 – with the second leg coming just a week later on July 6.

“We just need to wait for Tuesday,” said Caixinha. “He is going to visit a specialist in London. We will see how it goes.

“He is definitely out until the end of the season. He is not going to play again this season. There’s a possibility he could miss the start of next season.

“It was something on the knee, ligaments. We know that it is not a tear, but maybe it is a little bit stretched. But, again, until he has seen the specialist we won’t know the full extent.”

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Caixinha has been linked with summer moves for centre backs Bruno Alves, the vastly-experienced Portugal defender who he described as his “good friend” at the weekend, and Rashid Sumaila, the Ghanaian player who he worked with at his last club, Al-Gharafa in Qatar.

The 46-year-old admitted he had informed three members of his squad they did not feature in his plans for the future, but he declined to confirm who and expressed his unhappiness that two names had been made public.

“This week I have told three players regarding their futures,” he said. “They are private discussions and they will remain between the players and myself.

“I hope to have some more done by the end of the week and by next week I will have finished the process. I believe it should be done at the earliest point to help them find new clubs.

Caixinha continued: “The club is holding talks with a number of players at present.” Asked specifically about Rashid, he said: “I know the player, I worked with him in Qatar. I know about the players I want and I know the contact the club has made.”