Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice has suffered a frustrating injury setback while earning valuable first-team experience on loan at Kilmarnock.

The 20-year-old had been forced to watch from the sidelines during Kilmarnock’s 3-1 defeat to parent club Rangers at Ibrox, owing to loan agreement rules. Upon returning to Neil McCann’s starting XI for Saturday’s Premiership fixture against Motherwell at Rugby Park, Rice was handed another prime opportunity to cement his place in the side.

However, Rice’s afternoon came to an abrupt and painful end after just 35 minutes. The youngster pulled up in visible agony, holding his groin, going down to the turf before being replaced by teammate Aaron Tshibola, with the game still in the balance at 1-1.

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Neil McCann confirms Bailey Rice groin issue as Rangers loanee suffers setback

Addressing the media after the match, Kilmarnock manager McCann admitted the full extent of the damage remains unclear, but confirmed the issue was serious enough to force the Rangers loanee off immediately. The Ibrox icon also revealed that the club will monitor the groin injury over the next few days.

He said: “He felt his groin, so I actually don’t know. We’ll just monitor that over the next couple of days, but clear it was enough for him to come off. Tish [Aaron Tshibola], who played at Ibrox, was raring to go. Probably disappointed. In fact, I know he was disappointed to be left out – that’s what I want – and he came on; I thought he was brilliant.”

The injury comes at a particularly cruel time for the young Ibrox midfielder. Having moved to Ayrshire on loan in July, Rice initially had to bide his time under McCann, restricted to substitute appearances across Killie’s opening four league fixtures.

His patience paid off in Kilmarnock’s sixth Premiership match of the season, where he was handed his first league start and turned in an impressive display to help Killie secure their first victory of the campaign in the division in a 1-0 win over Hibernian.

That breakthrough earned him a second consecutive start in a 1-1 draw against Hearts prior to the international break. After missing the clash at Ibrox due to eligibility rules, Saturday’s start against Motherwell was supposed to mark a return to his promising run of form.

It is worth noting that Rice was sidelined with a serious injury last season. The midfielder, who also suffered an injury scare against Hibernian, is hopeful of getting his progression back on track this term, meaning another layoff will be a huge blow to his development.

Rangers medical staff will now keep a close eye on the results of Kilmarnock’s assessments over the coming days, hoping the youngster avoids a lengthy spell on the sidelines. McCann’s men, meanwhile, went on to win the game 3-2.