Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland says he is going in the “right direction” after having little choice but to undergo hamstring surgery.
The 31-year-old Scotland striker pulled up and had to come off early in the 1-0 win over Motherwell at Ibrox on September 5, with manager Derek McInnes predicting an absence of up to four months.
The Gers boss stated that opting for the operation on the grade 2c tear would reduce the risk of a recurrence, albeit it would add time to his rehabilitation.
Shankland, who has scored four goals in ten appearances for the Light Blues since joining from Hearts in the summer, was promoting Rangers Youth Development Company’s Rangers Lotto product at the club’s training ground, where he brought everyone up to speed.
He said: “I’m getting there slowly, I got off the crutches this week. It’s been four weeks from my surgery, so things look good.
“I was back down to see the specialist to get feedback and things are going in the right direction, so everything’s good. I’m healing well after the surgery.
“It was just a kind of check-up to make sure everything was where it was meant to be.
“You need to speak to the medical team for a better description, but as far as I’m aware, everything’s going in the right direction.
“To be honest, I never really had much of a decision. When I went to see the surgeon, he told me straight away that it was going to need surgery to fix it, and a follow-up scan confirmed that.
“It was made a bit easier, to be honest, that I just needed it fixed and he had to do it anyway.
“I was comfortable with it, obviously I had the experience of a similar injury last year, this time it was just a bit worse.
“But I was comfortable with everything that needed to happen and I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
He continued: “It’s hard to put a timeline on it. You kind of just need to see how it feels around that three-month, four-month mark.
“Everything will be under the physio’s supervision and how it feels for myself. I need to be comfortable going back, to be on the pitch.
“Hopefully as quick as possible, but as I said, you can’t put an accurate timeline on it.”
Before the international break, Rangers beat Celtic 1-0 in the Premiership at Parkhead, having knocked them out of the Premier Sports Cup with a 3-0 win at Ibrox the previous week.
Boyhood Rangers fan Shankland revealed he watched the Celtic fans-only game at Parkhead from his kitchen, as the Gers moved within two points of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table.
He said: “I actually was on the crutches and I didn’t realise I’d stood up for the full first half until the half-time whistle went.
“I’d been standing on one leg for 45. It’s difficult to watch them and you want to be there with the boys.
“I don’t know if it felt (to them) like I supported them through the TV, but that’s how it felt for me.”
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