Rangers boss Philippe Clement was hit by another injury blow after loan attacker Abdallah Sima was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations with a thigh injury.
The 22-year-old Senegal attacker has scored 15 goals since arriving on loan from Brighton in the summer.
The Senegal FA confirmed Sima would return to Rangers after he picked up the injury in training and a statement warned he could face a “long period of unavailability” after failing to get any minutes in the tournament in the Ivory Coast.
The issue of injuries has peppered Clement’s time at Ibrox since the Belgian took over from Michael Beale in October and again a key player looks to be sidelined for a period of time.
Clement watched Rangers win through to the last 16 of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a 4-1 win over Dumbarton in wet and wild conditions
Goals from John Lundstram, Cyriel Dessers, skipper James Tavernier – from the penalty spot – and substitute Scott Wright proved too much for Stevie Farrell’s men, who scored a consolation through Matthew Sheils.
Asked about Sima’s situation, Clement said: “It is always dangerous to hear those things when they happen when you are not there.
“I always like to hear what my medical staff think about things so Abdallah is going to come back as fast as possible.
“I was in contact with him yesterday.
“He is going to come back as fast possible to make a good assessment and to see how long he will be out.”
The Gers boss was pleased that his side “did what I asked, to be professional” against League Two opposition.
Lundstram is one of five first-team players out of contract at the end of the season but Clement has not given up on the prospect of the former Sheffield United midfielder staying at Ibrox.
He said: “It is a financial thing between him and the club.
“Both parties show interest to do that, that’s clear, so we are going to see in the next couple of weeks and months.
“He is in a situation where he can sign somewhere else but it is clear that he feels good at the club and everybody tells me he is showing a better level than he did at the beginning of this season, so I want to see him continue like that then I think there will be a solution between the two parties.”
Sons boss Farrell questioned referee Alan Muir’s decision to award Rangers a penalty at 2-0 when Carlo Pignatiello tackled Rabbi Matondo inside the box.
He said: “We have the live feed as most clubs do and I watched it back straight away and it’s not a penalty.
“I said to the fourth official when we scored (3-1) that it would have made it a five or 10 minutes, real intense and difficult for Rangers (had the penalty not been given) but the reality is he gave the penalty, they got it and scored it.
“Ultimately I think we did very well, and gave a good account of ourselves.”
Napoli 1-0 Roma: Lukaku downs former club on Ranieri's return
Claudio Ranieri's Roma return was spoilt by Romelu Lukaku, whose goal against his old club sealed a 1-0 win for Napoli.
Ranieri was appointed Roma boss over the international break, with the 73-year-old coming out of retirement to take charge of the club for a third time.
Yet it was ex-Roma striker Lukaku who decided Sunday's contest at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with his 54th-minute effort sending Antonio Conte's team back to the top of Serie A.
Lukaku was well-placed to convert from Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cutback, bringing up his fifth Serie A goal of the campaign.
Roma, who had just two attempts and managed only 0.07 expected goals (xG) in the first half, woke up after Lukaku's goal, with Artem Dovbyk powering a header off the woodwork from a free-kick minutes later, but the visitors' comeback attempts proved fruitless.
Ranieri's next task is to rally his troops for a Europa League clash with Tottenham on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Ranieri's underwhelming return
There was no sign of an immediate upturn for 12th-place Roma, if they were hoping for a new-coach bounce.
Roma ended the first half with fewer than 70 successful passes (68). It is the first time they have had so few successful passes in the opening half of a league game since 2004-05.
With only three wins to their name in the league, they have won fewer than four matches in their opening 13 Serie A games for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign (also three).
And of course, it had to be Lukaku, who was leading their line last season, that delivered the hammer blow. The Belgium international has been involved in nine goals in Serie A this term (five goals, four assists). Only his former Everton club-mate Ademola Lookman, now a star at Atalanta, has contributed to more goals in the competition (seven goals, four assists).
Amorim believes Man Utd were guilty of overthinking in Ipswich draw
Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United were guilty of overthinking as his Premier League managerial bow ended in a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town.
The Red Devils made a flying start to the Portuguese's tenure as Marcus Rashford netted in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser restored parity and Andre Onana had to make a couple of big saves from Liam Delap to ensure Amorim started with a point.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Amorim said: "I think my players were thinking too much during the game, they were thinking not just with the ball, but, 'where am I supposed to be?'
"It is hard because the team has been together only two days, I think we needed more in the first half with the physicality, because they left us one against one up front so we have to use those moments to feel the opponent.
"I think we lost some balls without pressure and when you start a game like this, you score one goal, then you have to control the ball, you have to control the tempo of the game.
"We cannot do it at the moment but they tried, they really, really tried. I know for some guys it's hard to understand this but they're trying and they really want this."
Amorim conceded that United, who are 12th in the Premier League, need to be better in their game management moving forward.
"I think that is a concern because you can understand you don't need to coach them at this level (how) you have to keep the ball, put the momentum in to put the ball up front," he added.
"At the end of the game, we are around the box with two strikers, Josh (Zirkzee) has to understand he has to go to the box to have the crosses, so we are doing things not in the right moment. That is something we have to address.
"Everyone talks about the 3-4-3 – that is not the problem, but the understanding of the game... we have to improve in this area."
Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United: Hutchinson denies Amorim winning start
Ruben Amorim was denied victory in his first game in charge of Manchester United as they played out a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The visitors made a dream start to Amorim's tenure when Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser sent Ipswich deservedly into the break on level pegging as the Tractor Boys responded well to the early setback.
United were grateful to Andre Onana for a couple of big saves in a game in which they struggled to test Arijanet Muric in the Ipswich goal after their flying start as the spoils were shared.
Rashford, chosen as a central striker, nipped to the near post to meet Amad Diallo's centre in a sublime start for the Red Devils.
Onana brilliantly kept out Liam Delap from eight yards but could do nothing to prevent Hutchinson's bending 20-yard effort finding the top-left corner via a deflection off the head of Noussair Mazraoui.
Muric smartly prevented Alejandro Garnacho restoring United's lead immediately after the restart, while at the other end Onana again thwarted Delap who thought he had scored with an ingenious flick.
Bruno Fernandes bent a free-kick wide and Conor Chaplin poked straight at Onana as both sides had to settle for a point.
Amorim matches Moyes as it's joy of six for Rashford
It could hardly have been a better start for Amorim, who joins David Moyes as the only manager to see his side score within the opening two minutes of his first Premier League game (Moyes having done so with Everton in March 2002).
However, it marked only the third time United have scored inside two minutes of a Premier League match and not won, with a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in October 1995 and a 6-1 hammering by Tottenham in October 2020 the other occasions.
Rashford was the man to get Amorim off to a flier and he has now scored under six different United managers having registered for Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, more than any other player for the club.
Ipswich, meanwhile, now have four goals scored from outside the penalty area in the Premier League this term - a tally only bettered by Manchester City (7) and Nottingham Forest (5).
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