Mols hands Rangers fitness boost

Rangers striker Michael Mols insists he is fitter now than he has been for "a long time".

The Dutch striker, who is in the final year of his contract this season, has failed to hit the same heights which catapulted him to hero status in 1999.

But a serious knee injury suffered in a Champions League game against Bayern Munich in Germany saw the player miss almost two years of action.

Now, however, Mols maintains he has returned to the peak of his fitness in the pre-season tour of North America.

Mols told rangers.co.uk: "So far, it’s been a good pre-season for me. Physically I feel good. There are no worries about the knee, nothing at all.

"This is as good as I have felt for a long time.

"Of course, I want to play more games, but, then again, so do a lot of players.

"It’s not just for me, it’s hard for every player to get into the Rangers team. There is massive competition and it’s nothing new.

"Right now, it’s about getting match-fit and then I’ll fight for a place, like every other player."

Mols has started both games of the tour so far and believes the run-out against Argentinian stars River Plate has stood the team in good stead for the season ahead.

Mols said: "It was a difficult game, but we had a lot of positives to go with the negatives.

"They made it tough for us. River Plate punished the three mistakes we made.

"They were ahead of us in terms of fitness, but there was also a difference with the feeling of the ball.

"Everyone from our team is still searching for that after just two games back."

Meanwhile, another long-term injury victim, Christian Nerlinger, is also hoping to prove his fitness in America.

The German was forced to miss much of last season with a mysterious foot injury sustained in the Champions League qualifier against Maribor.

But Nerlinger is determined to enjoy a full season, starting with the friendly against Reading Rage on Wednesday after missing the 3-2 defeat by River Plate in New York on Saturday.

Nerlinger said: "I have a slight thigh problem, but it’s really a small one.

"Unfortunately I didn’t play, but that was just a precaution.

"I’ve had two or three days rest and I’m almost ready to return to full training once again.

"I’ll definitely be ready for Santos at Giants next Saturday and I should be fit for Wednesday’s tie against Reading Rage. It’s not a problem."