Jack is simply thriving in thick of it all

IT takes a fair bit of pressure to make a diamond. And the only way to remove any rough edges is to apply even greater stress. In acknowledging he is playing the best football of his career, then, Ryan Jack is quick to point out he’s become a product of his environment.

Daily toils in the heat of a title battle, punctuated by the excessive demands of the Europa League, have honed him to a fine point.

Being entrusted with a key role in the Scotland midfield as Steve Clarke seeks to end a 22-year wait for a major finals appearance? Pile it on. Jack could do this all day, every day.

The 27-year-old played in his 23rd competitive game of the season on Tuesday night, providing energy and bite as Clarke’s men recovered from the loss of a first-half goal to beat Kazakhstan 3-1.

If the sheer numbers beside his name may not be unusual for a modern player, the nature of his regular contests — stretching back to those first European qualifiers in July — definitely make for a daunting burden.

As he prepares for the plastic pitch of Hamilton and then a robust date with Feyenoord in Rotterdam, however, he knows that adrenaline and enthusiasm will get him through. He can sleep during the next close season. All two weeks of it…

‘It’s a tough schedule and there’s no doubt there’s a lot of high-pressure games,’ said the Rangers star. ‘But you’re at a big club and that’s how you want it. Maybe at the end of the season I’ll notice (if it’s tiring) but it’s just game, train, recover, game, train, recover and your body gets into a routine.

‘I don’t think you really need to lift yourself. You’re playing for a big club and, as soon as you put that jersey on, there’s an expectation to win.

‘You come to Scotland and play alongside top-class players and there’s an expectancy, from the supporters and staff, to go and win games.

‘Have I been in better form? I don’t think so. In the summer I worked hard, got my head down and thought: “If I want to be part of a big season, I have to work hard”.

‘I just want to keep that going. You don’t really have time to think about it. It’s playing on a Thursday, recover, play on a Sunday, recover, and then play midweek. Even if you have a bad result, you want to put it right — and you’ve games so close to each other you get the chance to do that.’

Scotland’s recent mini-revival, built in part on Jack’s two typically up-tempo 90-minute shifts for the national team, is undoubtedly going to help when the legs get a little wobbly and energy levels start to dip.

In the case of this one vital cog in the Clarke machine, there is still the possibility next March could be a congested month of football. For all the right reasons.

Should Rangers emerge from their Europa League group and get through one more knockout round, they’d be playing a last-16 tie the week before Scotland’s first Euro 2020 play-off.

It hardly needs saying Jack would welcome the extra workload, the former Aberdeen regular noting: ‘I’m sure, come March, everyone will be involved. It’s so much better when you’re winning with Scotland. You don’t want to come away and get beat, then go back to your club not feeling good about yourself.

‘Thankfully, we’ve been able to get two wins over the past few days, so that helps your confidence going back to your club.

‘There are a lot of big games coming up and a lot to look forward to.

‘Feyenoord away will be very tough then Young Boys at home, who have been doing very well in the group.

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do before we can say we’ve achieved anything. The next two games will be huge. But the games I’ve had over the last two years have helped me get to this stage.’

Jack was lucky to escape serious injury following a horror challenge by Islambek Kuat on Tuesday night, the combative ball-winner admitting: ‘Obviously it was a bad one. But the ref has seen it as a yellow. I don’t know what was behind that but the referee is there to protect us.

‘There were a few naughty ones but thankfully no one is injured. My leg is fine.’

Rangers have won five games on the bounce across three different competitions stretching back to the end of last month, their consistency against a variety of opponents putting them into the BetFred Cup final, level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table — and potentially one win away from guaranteeing Europa League football in the new year.

After all of this, and a pair of Scotland wins to boot, won’t Jack (left) find Sunday’s trip to the former Hope CBD Stadium a bit of a comedown? ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘There are different pressures for each of them. But back to your club, it’s back to three points and keeping that momentum going that we’ve had.’