'I had to learn how to walk again' - Rangers star relives injury woe that wrecked debut season as he makes Ibrox promise

Rangers striker Danilo has opened up on his long-term knee injuryRangers striker Danilo has opened up on his long-term knee injury
Rangers striker Danilo has opened up on his long-term knee injury | Screenshot
The striker has vowed to repay fans’ support this season after his first season in Glasgow was wrecked by a knee injury

Rangers frontman Danilo has opened up on how the birth of his baby daughter helped him cope with a long-term knee injury that wrecked his debut season in Glasgow.

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The Brazilian - a £6million signing from Dutch giants Feyenoord last summer - is set to return to the same venue where his maiden campaign was cruelly cut short in December last year as he prepares to make his competitive comeback this weekend.

The 25-year-old had to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation programme over the following months but is now aiming to make an impact for the Ibrox side this term as he closes in on a return to full fitness. The former Ajax forward also had a lay-off with a fractured cheekbone sustained which scoring from a header against against St Johnstone and only managed 10 appearances in total last season.

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Ahead of Rangers’ Premiership opener against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday, Danilo described how his daughter was the “light in the darkness” of his injury-plagued first season in Govan. He told Sky Sports: “It’s been a really tough period for me, seven months, it’s been rough. My knee is 100 per cent ready to go and I am ready to crack on. My fitness is going to be the main thing for me to push now, to get my fitness back.

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“It’s not what you want when you go to a different country, especially how the fans welcomed me. I wanted to play a full season. It’s part of a footballer’s life, you never know what can happen during a game. I didn’t have good luck last season but hopefully this year I can stay on the field and I just want to help my team-mates.

“I had a blessing, me and my wife we got a beautiful baby. By the time of my knee injury, our baby was born. So that was a good thing, it could occupy my mind. She was my light in the darkness. She is just everything for me and I thank my wife for everything she has done. She had to help me a lot and the medical staff did a great job keeping me positive. I had to learn how to walk again. Small steps were big steps for me. But this is in the past and I am focused on this season and hopefully it will be a great one.”

Despite his injury woes, Rangers fans still warmed to the attacker during his time on the pitch and he is determined to repay their backing after featuring in a number of pre-season matches.

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“I want to do everything, I want to give everything back for their support. Right now I am getting my confidence back, I need to get my self-confidence with the ball. I have to improve small things again because seven months is not seven days. You get everything back slowly but when you start to play games you get your confidence back. I want to give everything and hopefully I can show myself again and even more so, I am ready to give more than 100 per cent on the field and help my team-mates.”

Czech winger Vaclav Cerny - a former team mate of Danilo during his season-long loan spell at FC Twente - became Rangers’ latest summer recruit last week. And Danilo has been encouraged by the arrival of a familiar face.

He added: “It was a great season for us. We knew each other from Jong Ajax. He will bring a lot of potential, he has a really good left foot and he knows where the space is. I am really happy he is around and hopefully he can bring a lot of positivity for us and help us a lot.”

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