The 31-year-old midfielder tore a calf muscle and was forced from the field less than two minutes into yesterday's reserve match against Hearts and his worst fears were confirmed this afternoon.

He faces between four and six weeks on the sidelines, meaning he will not be available for the remainder of the campaign.

That will spark speculation that he has already played his last game for the club which this month suspended him for two weeks without pay for his behaviour while on Scotland duty.

He was punished along with Ibrox team-mate Allan McGregor for flicking V-signs at photographers days after being dropped from the national team for indulging in an early-hours drinking session.

Ferguson was also stripped of the captaincy and he and McGregor were banned from representing Scotland ever again.

Upon punishing the pair, Rangers manager Walter Smith briefed reporters that their Ibrox careers were over.

But he performed a dramatic U-turn once their suspensions had been served, welcoming them back to the squad and admitting he was wrong to suggest they would never be picked again.

However, Ferguson was one of a number of players Rangers were prepared to sell in the January transfer window as they looked to cut both their level of debt and their wage bill.

As one of the biggest earners at the club, it seems unlikely he would not find himself in a similar position this summer.

His form this season has also been heavily criticised, with his failure to establish an understanding with Pedro Mendes in midfield often cited as one of the main reasons Rangers have found themselves trailing Celtic in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title race.

Meanwhile, Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist insists moaning about the SPL's post-split fixtures is a pointless exercise.

A number of clubs have complained about their lot since the final five fixtures of the season were announced on Sunday, including the Ibrox club's arch rivals Celtic.

The Hoops have demanded an explanation as to why Rangers will end up playing three home games against Hearts when a trip to Tynecastle would have provided a much stiffer test.

But McCoist said: "The split is what it is and you can mump and moan about things all you like. You just have to take your chances with it when you get them.

"Everyone plays against each other once when the top six break away and you need to get on with it. Sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn't.

"People will always find something to complain about but I'm certainly not doing it. We're happy with how the last five matches have worked out.

"The SPL do their best to accommodate everybody and, while we'd rather play our last game at home, we haven't got that. That's fine and we'll just see what that brings us.

"All of our matches will be tough, no matter where they are played, so we'll just roll our sleeves up, get on with the task in hand and hope that we win the league in the end.

"We are going to have to do it the hard way by going to Easter Road and Tannadice and having to beat Aberdeen, Hearts and Celtic at home.

"But you must earn the championship.

"If we want to win the title, we'll have to show what we are made of. That'll be the case whenever we have to go and whoever we play and we've no qualms with how the fixtures have panned out."

The SPL's primary concern when the post-split fixtures are compiled is ensuring each club ends up playing 19 home and away matches during the campaign.

Instead of a second trip to Tynecastle, where they lost in November, Rangers will instead visit Hibernian for a third time.

They have won both games at Easter Road so far this term but McCoist is adamant his side have not been handed an easy ride.

He said: "Easter Road is a heck of a place to go for a third time. I remember going there as a player myself and we had some real tussles and right battles at the ground.

"It's the same now when I go there as the assistant manager.

"Sure, it's a good place to go and play football because they've got a fantastic surface there, but they make things very difficult for you too."