Raith Rovers boss Ray McKinnon is hoping Lewis Vaughan can be back playing as soon as possible after undergoing successful knee surgery yesterday.
The 19-year-old striker ruptured his cruciate ligament playing against Albion Rovers in the League Cup at the start of last month.
The medical team at Stark’s Park had waited for the swelling around the joint to subside before sending him to see a specialist.
Now, Vaughan has been operated on at a clinic in Yorkshire.
His manager said last night: “Lewis has had his operation down south and it seems to have gone well.
“Hopefully, he can start his rehab quickly and he will be back playing for us sooner rather than later.”
The rest of the Rovers players were still licking their wounds after the mauling they received at Ibrox on Saturday with a rampant Rangers winning 5-0.
However, McKinnon maintains that games against Mark Warburton’s league leaders are not an accurate measure of how Raith are doing this season.
And he is certain Rovers will respond to the setback when they face Queen of the South this weekend with his squad bolstered by the return of on-loan Dundee striker Craig Wighton from Scotland Under-19 duty.
The manager said: “As I mentioned after the Rangers game, we will not judge ourselves this season on matches at Ibrox.
“Rangers were simply outstanding.
“However, the lads will bounce back strongly. They trained well this morning and we will look forward now to the game with Queen of the South.
“We also welcomed Craig Wighton back from Scotland duty and he looked really sharp.”