Neraysho Kasanwirjo returned to action on Tuesday night after five months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The 23-year-old defender, who joined the club on loan from Feyenoord in the summer, scored in Rangers B’s Glasgow Cup final victory over Celtic B at Firhill as he continues to build his fitness ahead of a long-awaited return to first-team football.
Kasanwirjo limped off during an U23s game for the Netherlands against England in November, and says he is thrilled to be back on the pitch.
The Dutchman told the club website: “It was good, I really enjoyed it. It had been a serious injury, and I hadn’t played a game for a long time, so it was great.
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“It was decided before the game that I would play 45 minutes, and it was a good period to start with and I feel good. It was very special to get a goal too. Paul [Nsio] said to me before the game that I was going to score, and he was so happy for me!
“I had never been part of that group, but I trained for a bit with them during the week and I see some of them when they train with the first-team. It was a good group, and they managed to win the cup for the second time in a row, so it was a good night for everybody.”
As he left the pitch during the 1-1 draw with England, Kasanwirjo says he knew immediately his injury was serious.
“When I made the twist, I already knew it was not good,” he said. “I had the surgery, and it all went well and now I am where I am, so I am happy. About five years ago I had an injury but it was not like this with the surgery, so it was more difficult for me to deal with.
After five months on the sidelines with a knee injury, Neraysho Kasanwirjo returned to action on Tuesday night with @RFC_Youth in the Glasgow Cup at Firhill. Click below to read more from Kasanwirjo as he continues his return to full-fitness ⤵️
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 2, 2025
“Rehab was good, I was back in Holland and then I came to Rangers, and it went really well. I had a lot of contact with the physio in Holland and the physios and doctors at Rangers so they both really supported me.
“When I got back to Glasgow, I was almost fit and that was difficult because even though I was feeling good, I still couldn’t train. When I saw the guys going outside to train and I had to train alone it was hard.
“They were coming in and getting ready to play games and I had to watch from the side, all I wanted to do was play but they all really helped me a lot and now I am happy to be on the way back.
“I hope I can play some minutes in the remaining games, it is up to the gaffer, but I will do what I can and keep working hard.”
