Norway are stepping up preparations ahead of the World Cup with a pair of friendlies this month, but Rangers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard has been left out of the squad.
The omission comes at a challenging point for the Norwegian, who has been on the fringes at Ibrox in recent weeks.
Stale Solbakken named his Norway squad on Wednesday.
Rangers reluctant to use playmaker
The playmaker has slipped down the pecking order at Ibrox despite a run of regular involvement under Danny Rohl during the winter.
Aasgaard has not featured in either of this month’s Old Firm fixtures and has not started a Premiership match since the win over Kilmarnock in early February.
He did make a brief impact off the bench against St Mirren last weekend, only to see a late effort ruled out for offside.
With Norway captain Martin Odegaard sidelined through injury, there had been a clear opening in midfield for the upcoming matches against the Netherlands and Switzerland.
However, his club manager and ex-Rangers player Mikel Arteta confirmed he is close to an Arsenal comeback.
He said: “He really wants to try to be available” ahead of their League Cup final clash with Manchester City.
“But we’ll have to wait and see in the next few days when he trains with the team how he feels.”
This takes away one slot in the finals squad that Aasgaard may have been used to fill.
Opportunity at Ibrox?
For the moment he has not been called upon, despite being used as a substitute in latest previous fixture against Italy.
This is a setback that dents his hopes of forcing his way into contention ahead of the World Cup finals in North America this summer.
That places added significance on the final stretch of the domestic season.
With Mohamed Diomande ruled out and potentially facing surgery, an opportunity could emerge at club level.
The Premiership title run-in may now represent Aasgaard’s final window to make a compelling case for international inclusion.
If he can re-establish himself in Rohl’s starting XI and deliver consistently, there remains a route back into the Norway picture.
However, his performances so far offer limited encouragement.
Read Rangers analysis
With just four goals and two assists in 25 appearances, the former Luton man has not provided the creative spark Rangers need.
His passing has been solid, with an almost 86% completion rate.
Despite this a frequent frustration at Ibrox has been his lack of risk-taking, often opting for safe sideways or backwards passes.
He has also created just three ‘big chances’.
This suggests his low assist return is not down to poor finishing from teammates but a lack of cutting edge in his own play.
Connor Barron has also returned to the side, offering Rohl another option in midfield.
The German’s tactical switch to a 4-2-2-2 system further reduces space in central areas.
Added to this Nicolas Raskin and January signing Tochi Chukwuani are currently ahead of Aasgaard in the pecking order.
The next two months will be crucial not just for Rangers – but for the player’s own hopes.
