Midfielder Rossiter ready for his season of destiny...
TALKING RANGERS
JORDAN ROSSITER admits he has never felt better as he looks to finally showcase his talents in the Ibrox midfield this season.
The 20-year-old saw his first campaign at Rangers ruined by injury as he made just six appearances in Light Blue.
Rossiter spent several months on the sidelines and was forced to watch on as Mark Warburton’s side struggled for form in the Premiership and miss out on League Cup glory.
He returned to training towards the end of the season but wasn’t fit enough to challenge for a place in the team under Pedro Caixinha’s guidance.
After featuring in both legs of the Europa League defeat to Progres Niederkorn, Rossiter completed the full 90 minutes of the Betfred Cup win over Dunfermline last week.
And the former Liverpool kid feels he is now ready and able to make his mark at Ibrox after emerging stronger and fitter from his injury nightmare.
He said: “It is an unbelievable feeling to be back out playing football, it has been a real frustration for me that first season.
“I haven’t really trained much and I haven’t really played much but I am happy I have come through it and I am on the other side. I am feeling better than ever.
“Yeah it was tough, but it is easy to say things are tough, there are a lot tougher situations happening right now in the world so I can’t really complain. It is just great to be back.
“I think no matter where you are living, you’re a footballer and you just want to play football. You want to get minutes, you want to play games and you want to train every day.
“I don’t know where to start with what my injury was to be honest. It started in my calf, I was getting little niggles in my calf.
“The physios Stevie Walker, Kev Maclellan last year and now Alex McQueen have been absolutely first class along with the Sports Science guys and Disco [Davie Lavery].
“They found the route of the problem and hopefully it is all sorted now. I feel 100% fit, I am feeling confident in my body and this is probably the best I have ever felt in my career.”
The return of Rossiter was a significant boost for boss Caixinha this summer as he prepared his side for the new Premiership campaign.
FORMER Anfield youth coach Michael Beale told SportTimes on Wednesday that the midfielder could go on to become an integral part of the Gers side in the coming months.
He then went on to tip him to earn a recall to the England setup in the future as he grows into an international star.
And Rossiter knows he must make the most of his chances to impress as he looks forward to his second campaign at Ibrox.
“It is a massive season for me, it is up to me to stay fit, I know that now,” he told RangersTV.
“I don’t want to forget about last season because it is a time I never want to go back to so it is always in my head.
“I feel like it is my first season here if that makes sense, I feel like I need to start again but I can’t wait for the challenge and I am feeling up for it.
“I have realised now that there are certain things in the gym you have to do, there are things I’ve got to do off the pitch in the gym not just out on the field which is going to help me stay fit.
“I have always taken things like that seriously anyway because I know I am maybe not the strongest lad or the fittest lad but more than ever right now it is about looking after my body.” played well when I came on at Easter Road, and the manager wasn’t slow in letting me know anyway,” Nisbet said.
“He sat me down and we went through it, the things I could have done better and areas where he felt I wasn’t working hard enough.
“I took in what he said and just hoped I’d get another chance on the Tuesday at McDiarmid Park. Luckily I did, and I felt I did well.
“I just kept it simple for the first 10-15 minutes, but after that I grew in confidence and I think I was able to influence the game in a positive way that I hadn’t managed at Easter Road.
“Hopefully now I can stay in contention.”