Edu - CL Dream

[ian1964 10,448]

by Thomas Jordan

 

MAURICE EDU'S lifelong dream growing up in America was to mix it with the world's top talents in the Champions League.

 

The Rangers midfielder was beaming with delight as he managed to take a huge step closer to living out that ambition by helping the Ibrox club win the championship at Tannadice last season to automatically qualify for the group stage of the competition.

 

But it came at a price. An injury picked up during the victory that secured the title was confirmed days later as being a knee ligament tear which denied the 23-year-old the opportunity to play in the Scottish Cup Final showdown with Falkirk at Hampden.

 

However, it was the prospect of not being back in time for top flight football's most prestigious event that was one that sent a chill down the American international's spine as he faced up to the possibility he might miss the start of the Champions League.

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Edu, though, finds himself on course to be back in contention for Rangers' European campaign after spending the last four weeks stepping up his training in his homeland after going under the knife in June.

 

He has now reported back to Murray Park to continue his rehabilitation under the watchful eye of the Rangers medical team.

 

But the player is confident he is still on course to return in time to play in the Champions League.

 

"Playing in the Champions League makes me even more eager to return," insisted Edu. "I've always dreamed of playing in the great stadiums of Milan or Barcelona. And there is a possibility of that happening now because we have automatically qualified for the group stage after winning the SPL title.

 

"It means there is a good chance we could find ourselves playing against one of the biggest names in world football.

 

"To score a goal in the Champions League at somewhere like the San Siro or Camp Nou would definitely be one of my career highlights."

 

And it has provided the player with an extra incentive to get himself back to full fitness.

 

"My knee feels a lot better," explained Edu. "Rehab is going very well and I'm dying to play.

 

"I am still scheduled to return the second week in September.

 

" I don't want to come back too early and risk injuring the knee again. I want to make sure I am 100 per cent fit when I come back.

 

"You don't want to push yourself and come back too soon only to end up damaging the injury again, so I'll be sensible and listen to what the medical people tell me."

 

Incredibly, Edu suffered the injury shortly after the half-time interval, but managed to play on for the rest of the match even though diagnosis later confirmed he had torn a ligament.

 

That, of course, has probably delayed his recovery further, but such was his desire to make sure his new club won the championship that he refused to allow the injury to end his involvement in such a crucial encounter.

 

But he was surprised to discover days later that it was such a serious injury.

 

"I felt my knee twist when Darren Dods hit me and it hurt pretty bad," said Edu.

 

"I was lying on the field for a couple minutes but got up, bit my tongue and let my adrenalin take over to help me finish the match.

 

"It wasn't until a couple days later that my knee felt really stiff and I thought there might be a problem."

 

The injury sidelined Edu not only for the Scottish Cup Final against Falkirk but also for the two US World Cup qualifying matches against Costa Rica and Honduras as well as the Confederations Cup.

 

Edu had been included in the US squad by head coach Bob Bradley, but could only watch all the matches on television, something that the Rangers stalwart admits he did with some mixed emotions.

 

"I was really excited and really happy for all the guys even though I wish I could have contributed," he added.

 

"I think we played really well and fought hard. It shows that we're capable of competing against the best in the world.

 

"Other countries have been looking down on us, but at the end of the day, they now see we are able to produce really good players."

 

It has been an uneventful at Rangers with no new faces arriving, but Edu is simply pleased that they haven't lost any of their top stars despite speculation they need to sell off one before the start of the new season.

 

"I think it's good that the core of the team stays," Edu said approvingly.

 

"We know that changes can happen during the season but we also know that any players who are brought in are here to add quality."

 

 

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