Gareth McAuley’s injuries since arriving at Rangers will have frustrated the life out of many, but not him.
Despite being out of action for almost two months with several different injury complaints, McAuley enjoyed his time out. The veteran Northern Irishman thrived in building up his fitness and getting ready to start for Rangers.
He made his debut in the 4-3 Europa League defeat to Spartak Moscow last week, but that was only for the final few moments. Rangers fans saw a lot more of him as he was given the second half of the 7-1 rout.
There wasn’t much McAuley needed to do, but he looked composed and capable regardless. And the Northern Irish star has admitted that he wasn’t too bothered by being out injured when speaking to Rangers TV.
“Do you know what? I’ve enjoyed it (the layoff). It’s been hard work. In hindsight, I should’ve went in somewhere and done pre-season properly. But here, I’ve done the hard work and feel fit and ready to go.
“I’ll hopefully go on international duty now and get some more minutes and be able to come back and compete. I want to try and push and get more starts.”
A tenacious attitude
When we talk about the right attitude for the fight at Rangers, McAuley is showing the right signs so far. He’s hungry for the battle ahead at Ibrox and seems to be a man not troubled by the hard work ahead.
It’s not often you hear of players enjoying their spells on the sidelines. What it does show, however, is the fighting spirit that’s going to be needed to challenge Celtic.
Too many players at Ibrox in the past have shirked from hard work. McAuley seems like the kind to thrive in it.
He’s yet to make a start for the club, but he’ll be hoping his international break does him the world of good. He’ll likely be in action in a high-tempo clash against the Republic of Ireland for Northern Ireland. A match like that could be exactly what he needs to bring him up to speed.
Rangers now have a home match against Livingston to look forward to in two weeks’ time. It would be the perfect scenario to try McAuley out, and see if he can strike up a successful partnership with Connor Goldson.
