John Souttar admits he wasn't '100 per cent honest' with Rangers' medical staff when he signed a deal with the club as he opens up on his injury hell.
The former Hearts defender signed with the Ibrox club on a pre-contract but didn't feature much for the Jambos in the final few months of the season due to injury. Souttar then found more issues upon his arrival in Glasgow, managing to play a chunk of the opening league day clash with Livingston before being forced off. The Scotland cap only made his return to the pitch last month.
The 26-year-old, however, admits he now feels 'brilliant' and wants to get his career at Ibrox up and running. Souttar has his sights set on big Champions League games and derbies with Celtic - something he had to agonisingly watch from the stands in recent months.
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He said: “Looking back, I should probably have been a bit more honest. But when you sign for a club like Rangers, you just feel like you have to play.
“I probably wasn’t 100 per cent honest with the medical staff. It’s just in my character to play through those sort of things. Looking back, I should have said I couldn’t play – but that’s me. That’s what I am. The last six months have been difficult. Signing for Rangers, you have all these expectations in your head of how it’s going to go.
“It didn’t pan out the way I wanted at the start for one reason or another. People will probably say I’m injury prone but you’ve got to be mentally strong within yourself. You’ve got to have that self belief and focus. You can’t listen to anyone apart from yourself.
“You have to get yourself back to the standard you know you can reach. It’s not about proving people wrong, it’s about proving it to yourself. Thankfully, now I feel brilliant. I’ve been training for four or five weeks and feel class. I’m now looking forward to properly starting my Rangers career.
“I’ve been to see all the top people in the country and I’m back to 100 per cent now. I’m grateful to everyone at the club and the way they’ve looked after me. They’ve got me back to this point and now it’s my turn to repay them.
“It’s a relief. For the first time in a while I feel I’m playing without any concerns about how my body is or having to manage it. To feel 100 per cent is a massive relief. It was just another obstacle to get over for me. Having been through it before definitely helps but it’s mentally frustrating. When you join a new club you want to show everyone what you can bring and the attributes you’ve got.
“But when you’re on the sidelines watching the boys play in the Champions League and Old Firm games – things you dreamed about as a kid – that’s difficult. It just gives me more of an appetite to work hard and do everything I can to get back to a high standard.
“I want to be the best player I can be for Rangers and Scotland and play as many games as I can. I’ve said before how much it means to me to play for my country. But I want to get in this Rangers team and prove to people that I can play here. Everything else will take care of itself after that.”
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