Matt Crooks hopes the road to recovery leads to an Old Firm debut for Rangers

The 22-year-old moved to Ibrox in the summer alongside former Accrington Stanley team-mate Josh Windass but has yet to feature for Mark Warburton’s side.

Crooks has been training at Auchenhowie in recent weeks and made his return from an ankle injury in the Light Blues’ Under-20 defeat to St Mirren on Tuesday night.

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He is unlikely to feature in the Premiership clash against Kilmarnock on Friday but could make an appearance in the friendly fixture with Linfield a week on Saturday.

That could put him on course for a place in Warburton’s plans for the trip to Parkhead on Saturday, September 10 as the title rivals go head-to-head for the first time this term.

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And Crooks can’t wait to finally get down to business as he looks to make a positive impression at Ibrox.

He said: “Hopefully I will be back after the international break so that will be for the Old Firm as my first game so that is a nice one to be back in contention for.

“It will be good to get playing with the lads, training is all well and good but a game is different, it is a good game for me to play in and just get used to it.

“The Linfield game is perfect timing for me personally, you want to play well but there is nothing riding on it so a friendly at that time is perfect.

“You already know when you sign that it is Rangers and what they stand for and who they are so coming up and seeing the stadium and the players you’re playing with has enhanced my opinion of the club even more.”

Crooks is one of ten players to arrive at Ibrox in recent weeks as Warburton has bolstered his Light Blues ranks for a shot at the Premiership title.

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The former Manchester United kid was a key part of the Stanley side that pushed for promotion in League Two last season before he was crocked in March.

He faces a fight to get himself into the Gers starting line-up this term and has plenty of competition for a spot in Warburton’s midfield three.

The Ibrox boss remains in the market for another defender to complete his shopping spree this summer and give him another option at centre-back.

Crooks has the physical attributes to fit in at the heart of the Gers defence and he is happy to fill in if required this term.

“I get asked where I see myself fitting in a lot, everyone on Twitter seems to think I am a centre-back and I’m not sure why,” he told rangers.co.uk.

“I played all last season at centre-midfield and I am guessing that is where the club saw me playing but I am more than happy to fit in at centre-half if that fits me in the team.

“I spoke to Davie Weir about where I might play and he said don’t hold yourself down to one position so I am keeping myself open.

“At the level I was playing at last season I was comfortable in both positions, I played centre-half two seasons ago when I was out on loan but the standard is higher here so there are different aspects of the game I might have to improve on but I think I’m more than capable.

“I am not just a defensive midfielder either; I do like to go forward, get an eye on goal and take my chances.”