Is still amazed at the Gers fans’ backing

There have been a lot of seemingly unanswered questions about Jordan Rossiter’s two-and-a-half years with Rangers.

But there’s only one thing that puzzles the 21-year-old midfielder.

He is amazed by the unstinting support he gets from the Ibrox club’s supporters.

Rossiter wonders if he deserves that backing after only managing eight league appearances in Light Blue.

Perhaps it shows this is a young man still in touch with the way fans think.

It’s not uncommon for an injury-prone player to come under fire from the stands, and sympathy can be in short supply. Fortunately, things seem to finally be changing for Rossiter.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is deliberately holding him back from European games, but he could play a part in the home clash with Motherwell today.

Rossiter came off the bench at St Mirren last weekend and said: “Physically and mentally, I’m in the best place I’ve been for a good few years.

“I just need to stay fit and available for selection. If my chance does come, it’s up to me to take it.

“The fans have been brilliant. I can’t speak highly enough of them. They’ve given me so much support, although I don’t know if I deserve it after two years of injury.

“They have never had a bad word to say about me. I just want to repay them, as well as the club.

“I’ve lost two years of my career and I need to get that back.”

The former Liverpool Under-19 captain revealed that medical science and a touch of caution from Steven Gerrard is why he will only feature occasionally at the moment.

After watching him struggle with a succession of injuries, the experts are slowly increasing his workload.

He went on: “The gaffer or the sport scientists need to rein me in from time to time. I just need to trust them and trust the process.

“I think I’ve always been someone who does look after himself, but obviously there was a reason why I was always getting injured. Thankfully the physios here have been absolutely first-class and we got to the root of the problem.

“I want to play every minute of every game and, hopefully, that will come at some point.

“I’ve never really been a regular week-to-week player in my career.”

A slow, frustrating fightback to fitness has been made a bit easier for Rossiter by the presence of Steven Gerrard as boss.

He went on: “I remember the first time I trained at Mellwood, he was brilliant with me.

“I learned so much training with him every day and hopefully I’ll learn so much more under him as a manager.

“He was first-class as a player and has been first-class as a manager. He was always approachable when I was at Liverpool and he was even approachable around the city as well. “There are a few more Scouse accents knocking about Rangers than there has been over the years.

“But, even without them, it is an unbelievable club. I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”

Gerrard has high hopes for his former teammate, and said: “He’s a good player, who has had a really tough time, but I think it’s important that we don’t keep talking about that tough time.

“We are hoping that’s behind him now. He’s repeating training sessions and he’s been available.

“I made it very clear to him that in terms of the European run that — and maybe I’m wrong — it was important we protected him from that.

“With where his body is right now, he doesn’t want to be travelling, be involved Thursday night and then get ready for Sunday.

“Getting full training in and getting his body conditioned, that’s his first challenge.

“Then I have no doubts he will show everybody what he’s capable of.

“There’s a lot of football to be played from now till the end of the season.

“If he is looked after, he’ll get a lot more appearances than he got over the previous two seasons.

“That will be a good platform for him to move forward.”

Pedro Caixinha has tipped Mexican misfit Carlos Pena to resurrect his career when he returns to Rangers.

The 28-year-old (left) had his loan deal at Necaxa terminated two months early in midweek after making nextto-no impact on his second loan spell since leaving Ibrox. The Mexican internationalist was handed a three-year deal by Caixinha when signed for £2.2-m in June last year. And after the Portuguese manager was sacked by Rangers, he returned to take Pena on loan at Cruz Azul. However, Pena was sacked by the Mexico City club, following a series of embarrassing off-field, alcoholrelated incidents, before going into a rehab clinic. Caixinha said: “I hope that when Carlos goes back to Scotland, he can recover his career. He is still not yet 30, and has plenty of time to still have a great career.

“He has tremendous football potential and is a great person. He deserves better, and if he asks me for any advice about going back to Rangers, I will happily give it.

“It hurts me to see him in this position. There were two difficult moments with him – the first came when he went to Scotland, where he had to leave his comfort zone. “Secondly, when he came back here, he got caught up with some bad influences.

“I just hope he can become the player he once was when he goes back to Rangers.”