Vaclav Cerny is determined to savour his time at Rangers after battling back from serious injuries earlier in his career.
The 26-year-old winger’s mentality has been honed and hardened by two long spells on the sidelines which tested his character.
During his time in the Netherlands, where he played for Ajax, Utrecht and Twente, the Czech Republic international suffered two knee injuries, both of which kept him out for the best part of a year, one of which caused him to miss Ajax’s Europa League final against Manchester United in 2017.
Happily hale and hearty, Cerny, who signed on a season-long loan from Wolfsburg in the summer, wants to repay the faith Philippe Clement has shown in him ahead of the Europa League opener against Malmo on Thursday.
He said: “That was the season I was coming back from injury, so at the end of the season I was not fit enough to play (Europa final).
“For me, I was part of it, but not how I wanted. It’s another experience.
“I’ve been through a lot during my career
“I had two big, big injuries, so that forms how you are, your experiences from previous clubs, but also you personally.
“I’m just enjoying myself being on the pitch, and I just want to give this club back what they’ve given me until now.
“For me, it’s a clear thing that I want to pay back.
“As a football player, you play for a club, you play for your team-mates, for your coaches but when you’re injured for so long, all of a sudden you’re basically on your own.
“That’s what is a struggle, actually.
“You have to find the mentality to come through it, because you have examples of players who don’t come out of those injuries.
“Those things tested me so well and you realise even more what it means to play on these stages and makes me enjoy it even more.
“Literally, that’s why I’m the kind of player that I am now.
“I want to score every game, I want to be important every game, even though it’s not possible sometimes.
“I know that, but that’s the thing that brings me forward and what I want to give to this amazing club right now.”.
Cerny compared expectations and pressures at Ajax with those at Ibrox, where his time has coincided with a turbulent spell on and off the field, as Clement’s side, while ready to begin their Europa League journey, try to keep on the coat-tails of Old Firm rivals Celtic, whom they already trail by five points at the top of the William Hill Premiership
He said “It is similar, so it’s good to know how it feels to be in a club that demands a lot.
“Fans, the club itself, you need to play for trophies and you want that as well as a player, and we all realise that.
“So it’s good to have literally everyone on board and to understand the things we want to achieve.
“Obviously clubs like that (Ajax), they want to win titles every single year, and that’s more than normal.
“As I said, there is a constant pressure, but that’s a good thing also.
“We don’t have to make it bigger than it is, so it’s just up to us to focus.
“It sounds really cliche, but it’s just going step by step and achieving those things.”
