THE days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. The routine changed as Jamie Murphy progressed along the road to recovery, but the ambition always remained the same.

He had to endure the pain of the damage that was inflicted on his knee at Rugby Park in August.

Then, the mental challenges would prove just as difficult to overcome as the physical ones.

If the fixture list had been different and Rangers hadn’t been away to Kilmarnock on the last day of the season, Murphy could possibly have played again in his first full campaign with his boyhood heroes.

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The start of pre-season was the date that was circled on his calendar for some time, though, and he now has a fortnight of action under his belt with Steven Gerrard’s side.

A run-out in the 2-0 victory over Mansfield on Saturday night was Murphy's first action in several months. He played the first half hour and had a hand in Sheyi Ojo's opener before Greg Docherty netted late on.

Murphy wasn’t just back on the pitch, he was back in the groove. His patience and professionalism have paid off and now the 29-year-old has the chance to make up for lost time with Rangers.

“I’ve still got a bit to go but I feel good,” Murphy said. “I’ve trained every day so far so it’s just about working hard, getting back to where I was and being better.

“I’ve had no reaction from the knee. Obviously, last season was just all rehab. But I’m training fully with the boys.

“It helps when you can see the finishing line in sight. The aim was to get the last game of the season which turned out to be impossible.

“So the target was then to be fit for pre-season and join in straight away.

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“The toughest moments were probably watching the big games, the European nights and the derby victories.

“Being on the sidelines for them was tough. Also, it wasn’t smooth sailing with the knee.

“It wasn’t like the rehab was good all the time. There were good times and bad.

“So getting through all of that has made me a stronger person.

“The mental side of it is hard, when you’re working on your own or with the physios. At the start, I found it difficult to watch the games.

“But you get into it, you get used to it and by the end I was watching the matches and taking notes on them. You just adapt to the situation you’re in.”

The injury that Murphy sustained at Kilmarnock reopened the debate about the suitability of plastic pitches in the Premiership and boss Gerrard was clear and concise in his condemnation and criticism of them.

It was a conversation Murphy was reluctant to get involved in as he focuses on the things he can control and the work that he needs to do to establish himself at Ibrox once again.

Rangers will begin the new league campaign at Rugby Park next month but there are still questions over Murphy’s participation.

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“It’s not for me to decide whether I’m going to play on artificial pitches or not,” he said.“The medical staff at the club will discuss it with the manager. I haven’t been told I can’t play on them or I can.

“I’ll take that as it comes. I’d possibly have been fit for the last game of the season if it hadn’t been at Rugby Park.

“But when the post-split fixtures came out there was no reason for me to push my rehab for it.

“My first game back definitely wasn’t going to be on Astroturf. So it maybe gave me a chance to slow down a bit and do things properly.

“It’s Rugby Park on the opening day of the new season but we’ve got European games first.

“I don’t want to say anything on artificial pitches. I got injured there but I don’t know the reason for it.

“Mentally, I’d be OK going back there. I’ve done some running on the Astro we’ve got at the training ground. And it’s a game of football, sometimes you forget that. It might be different to play on but you just want to play.”

While Murphy was taking small steps on the road to recovery last term, Rangers were also moving in the right direction under the guidance of Gerrard in his first campaign at Ibrox.

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The nights under the floodlights in the Europa League and Old Firm wins over Celtic were tough for Murphy to watch on a personal level but they gave him hope in a professional sense as he saw the progress that has been made by the Light Blues.

Rangers, of course, still ended the season without any silverware to their credit and everyone at Ibrox is aware that has to change in the coming months.

Murphy said: “I’m looking forward to the challenge this season. You want the best players here to try and achieve things. To do that, you just have good players.

“I remember at Brighton, we had four wingers and we all couldn’t play. We had Solly March, Anthony Knockaert and Jiri Skalak.

“But we ended up getting promoted so we’ll be looing for similar success here.

“It would mean a lot to be part of a Rangers team winning trophies again. I didn’t want to come here and not be part of a trophy-winning team.

“That’s definitely my aim and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone here. If it’s not, you’re probably in the wrong place.

“After what I’ve been through, being out for a year, I’ll probably savour it more. I’ve learnt a lot in the last 12 months.

“I’m doing things differently because of the injury. Although it’s taken a year off my career, I feel like the work I’ve done has maybe added a few on at the other end.

“I’ve worked to protect the knee. The surgeon told me that my knee will never be 100 per cent again.

“So it’s about making everything else is 100 per cent strong. I’ve worked on that side of things a lot. Now, I feel I’m ready to help Rangers for the next few years.”