The right back position is jinxed, it seems. Hutton, Mo Ross and Zurab Khizanishvili have all played there this season and none has made it his own.
It was a sad sight as the 20-year-old defender was carried down the tunnel in clear distress.
Having played so well and achieved so much in the previous three matches, the last thing Alex McLeish wanted was to make changes to his side.
However, the intensity of the Old Firm battle last Sunday took its toll on Ronald Waterreus and Michael Ball who both missed out as a result of knocks sustained against Celtic.
In came Allan McGregor and Stevie Smith as direct replacements and they certainly can’t be blamed for Rangers’ surprisingly laborious efforts in the opening part of the game.
In fairness, Old Firm hero Gregory Vignal had the ball in the net in the first minute but was ruled offside by assistant ref Gary Sweeney after a collision between keeper Alan Combe and centre back James Fowler had gifted him the chance.
And Prso headed Vignal’s free kick over the bar in five minutes after Novo had been fouled on the right side of the Killie box.
However, Rangers found it extremely tough to find any space against a youthful and hard-working Kilmarnock side.
Rangers needed some inspiration and Prso and Vignal combined to provide it in 20 minutes but the Ayrshiremen held firm.
Prso’s flick was well read by Vignal who played in Novo. The little Spaniard cut onto his right foot and smashed a powerful shot which Combe blocked superbly.
The ball broke to Vignal who connected with the rebound but Fowler got in the way and Killie survived.
It was an all too rare moment of clinical play from the Ibrox men and Prso took it upon himself to change the tempo.
He took a pass from Barry Ferguson 25 yards out in the 29th minute and Killie must have felt they had all bases covered.
However, the big Croatian brilliantly skipped past Simon Ford and then curled a sensational right foot shot into the top right corner of the Killie net.
It was a stunning goal and just what the Light Blues needed to set them on their way to their target of a six-point SPL lead.
A dark cloud was cast over the contest four minutes later, however, Alan Hutton suffered a dreadful injury in a 50-50 challenge with Gary Hay which left the Ibrox defender with a broken leg.
Hutton, it has to be said, was late with his challenge and he was booked by referee Steve Conroy as he lay in agony on the turf.
It took a full five minutes to attend to the stricken 20-year-old, who held his head in anguish and in pain as he was taken by stretcher down the tunnel and off to hospital with doctor Ian McGuinness.
McLeish was forced to change things around bringing on Alex Rae to play in midfield with Ricksen moving to his old position of right back.
The most unwelcome break in proceedings may have unsettled Rangers but the opposite was true.
A shocking lapse in concentration by Ford – the man fooled by Prso for the first goal – allowed Rangers to go two ahead in 41 minutes.
The Killie defender tried to pass the ball back to his keeper, but he didn’t see Nacho Novo in the vicinity. The livewire striker did not need an invitation.
Novo raced onto the loose pass, rounded Combe and stroked a left foot shot into the empty net to claim his 22nd goal of the season. The game was effectively over.
It was all too easy in the second half as Rangers completely dominated.
The roving Vignal proved to be a real thorn in Killie’s side as he first set up Prso in 48 minutes and then Buffel in 65 minutes but on both occasions his team mates squandered their opportunities.
Vignal played in Prso on the right side of the box and he fired his shot too close to Combe who made a good blocking save.
Buffel’s miss was more glaring and indicative of the frustrating day he had. Vignal’s clipped pass from the left was perfect and the Belgian just had to pick his spot but his left foot struck the right hand post and the chance was gone.
By this time Prso was off, replaced by Stevie Thompson, as McLeish started to make his preparations for the next contest against Hearts.
However, Killie made the closing moments of the match uncomfortable for the Rangers manager when they pulled a goal back 15 minutes from time.
Former Ibrox youngster Peter Leven swung over a corner from the right and striker Kris Boyd hooked the ball into the net with his left foot.
You could almost feel the heat of McLeish’s blood boiling.
In the end, the job was done but the manager will be looking for a far more convincing performance at Tynecastle on Wednesday.
RANGERS: (4-3-3): 22-McGregor; 20-Hutton (8-A. Rae 38), 5-Andrews, 16-Kyrgiakos, 37-S. Smith; 2-Ricksen, 6-Ferguson, 24-Vignal; 4-Buffel (17-Burke 81), 9-Prso (19-Thompson 56), 10-Novo.
Subs not used: 30-G. Smith, 12-Malcolm, 23-Djordjic, 45-McCormack.
Bookings: Hutton (33)
KILMARNOCK: (4-4-2) 1-Combe; 4-Lilley, 2-Fowler, 18-Ford, 3-Hay (22-Leven 54); 11-Invincible, 8-Locke, 7-McDonald, 12-Johnston; 33-Naismith (10-Dargo 86), 9-Boyd.
Subs not used: 13-Smith, 15-Nish, 16-Fontaine, 19-Murray.
Bookings: Lilley (69)
Ref: Steve Conroy
Man of the match: Dado Prso