AS A Manchester United fan steeped in the traditions and history of the Old Trafford club, a teenage Matt Crooks sobbed his heart out when the team he adored told him there was no future in their club academy.

That trauma still has an impact on the midfielder, a man desperate to make an impact at new club Rangers and yearning to soak up every moment he spends at another big club following spells in the modest surroundings of the English lower leagues.

It may come as a surprise, therefore, that Crooks is prepared to leave the roar of Ibrox and the training ground regime of Murray Park behind, albeit temporarily, to hold on to it.

The 22-year-old arrived with Josh Windass in the summer from Accrington Stanley. Injury has severely curtailed his progress; first there was a cartilage issue, then a pesky hamstring kept him away from game time other than three appearances he has managed to scrape together.

Now fit but still not playing, the mature Englishman is ready to do whatever it takes to force himself into Warburton’s mind, even if it means going out of sight.

“I can't emphasise enough how I honoured I feel to be here. But ultimately, I just want to play,” said Crooks. “If that means going elsewhere, it's something I have to do. The most enjoyment I get is from playing games.

“I've had a conversation with the manager. I got injured at the start of March so it's been a long time since I played any games. I've had the same disagreement with myself over and over again. I don't want this club to think I'm giving anything up.

“But at the same time, I've been fully fit for two months and haven't played. I'm almost 23 and I just want to play. You learn a lot just from playing. That was the case last season for me at Accrington. It's been hard going from playing in every game to not playing at all.

“It's a dilemma, whether I should just stay and stick it out. But I've still got three years left on my contract here so it's not as if time isn't on my side. We've spoken and the manager understands my situation. But I appreciate it has to be right for the club and myself.

“We'll wait and see what happens in January. We can maybe re-assess things after the winter break.”

Crooks has settled in well at Rangers in the months he has been in the Murray Park shadows, even if he jokingly concedes he doesn’t get hassled in the street as nobody knows who he is.

The familiarity of a big-club environment has undoubtedly played a part in helping this bedding-in process that has been blighted by injury issues and selection problems. It’s not every day Manchester United and Rangers are mentioned in the same breath these days, but Crooks was content to draw comparisons.

“I was at Manchester United until I was 15 before they released me. I cried my eyes out because I'm a United fan,” he said. “Moving here felt like I was getting back to that level, in terms of the size of club.

“When I was at United, I took it for granted. I don't want to do the same here, happy to just stroll along. I need to take full advantage of this place and use it to the best of my ability. I want to be at a big club and if I'm doing well at Rangers, it's the best scenario for all parties.

“But if you're at a little club and you're playing – you get more out of it than twiddling your thumbs at a big club like this. The plan would be to go away, play a lot of football, get back to being the player I was before coming back to Rangers in the summer.

“I'm going away for a few days but I've made sure there's a gym at my hotel so I'll be working. It's not been ideal, that's putting it mildly. It's been hard. But I always try to think positively and I've had harder times than this. I can't complain, I'm in a privileged position at Rangers. But it's still frustrating. Wherever you are, you want to play. If you're not, you don't enjoy it as much as you should be.”

Crooks has also been kept sane with the company of old pass Windass, his old Accrington team-mate who has managed to get a run of 15 games in Warburton’s squad. Even if he has a smelly dog (I’ll let the man himself explain).

“I've left Josh behind now,” said Crooks. “I had him for a year and that was enough. His dog stinks as well. He says he washes it but I don't think he does!

“I've been away from my family a lot in my career so I'm used to that now. It's more about yourself. I put pressure on myself to be fit and playing well. More than anything, that's what annoys me the most – knowing I can do better.

“It's just not happening for me at the moment.”