JAMIE MURPHY has started planning for life after football by taking up a business course during his injury lay-off.

The winger missed almost all of last season with Rangers after suffering a serious cruciate knee ligament injury in the Betfred Cup win over Kilmarnock in August.

But he has put the time out of action to good use and said: “I take a lot of notes now when I’m watching games on the TV. I’ve actually started doing an online course in football business.

“It’s just to try and keep my mind busy and my head in football.

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“I’m in the middle of it just now. The topics vary, it’s done through the Cruyff Institute. It’s for after football. I feel I have to start thinking about that now.

“Not that I’m saying I’m anywhere near finished. But I’ve missed a year of football so I’ve learnt that this won’t be forever.

“The course is for eight months. I was planning to do my coaching badges but the week they were starting, I was going in for my operation. After missing that, I felt I had to do something.”

Murphy was forced to go under the knife and spent several months in rehabilitation. And the 29-year-old admits it was a difficult period.

He said: “My best support was my wife, she helped me every day especially in the early stages.

“When I was on the crutches for the first couple of months and the kids were running about crazy – she was there to look after them.

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“I’ve also got my mum and dad who were helping, as well as the medical staff at the club who I was working with every day.

“It affects your whole life. People would say to me: ‘So what have you been doing since you’ve been off’?

“I’d say, I’ve been in training more than all the other boys!

“You just have to get used to not playing.”