Kenny Miller’s former teammate Tam McManus fears that the veteran Rangers forward may be forced to retire after he ruptured his hamstring against Hibernian last week.
Former Hibs striker McManus suffered the same injury two years ago while playing for Gartcairn, and was reluctantly forced to retire from football.
McManus has now voiced his concerns over Miller, who he played with at Easter Road, as the 37-year-old looks set to be ruled out for a significant period of time.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, McManus said: “I had the exact same injury towards the end of my career. I opened my legs to sprint and it was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. Considering I had a broken leg at Hibs that kept me out for about six months, and a fractured kneecap at Falkirk that was an eight-month job, it’s saying something it was sorer than both of them.
“When you do come back, it’s always going to be in the back of your mind that when you open your legs or accelerate it could go again. I just hope for Kenny it’s not the end of his career. I’m sure he’ll try his hardest to get back. He’s been a great pro and he’s definitely a guy that doesn’t deserve to go out that way.
“I just couldn’t get back from it. Even now, two years on, I go for a jog or a game of fives and it’s always aching and always there in the back of my mind. The mental aspect to an injury like this is probably worse than breaking your leg because you think that it could go again.”
OPINION
It would be a very sad end to see Miller retire due to injury, with the 37-year-old having been such a brilliant servant of the Scottish game. However, Miller will obviously do all it takes to get back on the pitch for the Light Blues, and it would be no surprise to see him back earlier than expected. The tenacious determination he shows on the field will surely be translated to the treatment room, and it would be a shock to not see Miller back scoring goals soon enough.