After five months on the sidelines with a knee injury, Neraysho Kasanwirjo returned to action on Tuesday night as Rangers lifted the Glasgow Cup at Firhill. The defender was delighted to be back on the pitch and even managed to top it off with a goal as he continues his return to full fitness.
Joining the club on loan from Feyenoord in the summer, the 23-year-old had begun to build up a run of games in the first-team before suffering the injury while on international duty with the Netherlands’ U23s.
From an Ibrox Insider perspective, Kasanwirjo looked like a strong addition when he arrived at Rangers — athletic, composed, and clearly well-schooled technically. It was a real blow when he picked up that injury in November, just as he was finding some rhythm in the side.
In an exclusive interview with the official club website, Kasanwirjo shared his delight at being back on the pitch.
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.
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.
Neraysho Kasanwirjo speaking to Rangers official website
Kasanwirjo said he knew instantly his injury was serious as he limped off during the Netherlands U23 fixture against England back in November. After spending the first three months recovering in his home country, he returned to Glasgow and said his teammates supported him throughout the rehab.
When I made the twist, I already knew it was not good,” he continued. “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.
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.
Neraysho Kasanwirjo speaking to Rangers official website
While Rangers do hold an option to buy the player, fans are understandably cautious. The situation with Óscar Cortés is still fresh — initially loaned in, injured, re-loaned with a commitment to buy, and now facing a £3.5 million outlay for a player who’s barely featured across a season and a half. It’s a cautionary tale that could weigh heavily on any decision around Kasanwirjo.
Ideally, Rangers might look to negotiate another season-long loan for the Dutch defender without a purchase obligation — though whether Feyenoord would accept such a proposal is unclear. The fee to bring him in permanently would likely sit around £2 million, which could be a calculated risk. But with another major rebuild looming this summer, Kasanwirjo’s situation falls into that tricky bracket of “promising but uncertain” — and that may make the difference when budgets are tight.
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