Aaron Ramsey unlikely to make Rangers debut in Old Firm derby against Celtic after deadline day transfer
AARON RAMSEY concedes he is unlikely to be fit to make his Rangers debut in tomorrow's Old Firm derby.
The Welshman, 31, sealed a shock loan move to the Scottish champions from Juventus on deadline day after rejecting a number of Premier League clubs.
But the ex-Arsenal midfielder admits the Parkhead clash with Glasgow rivals Celtic will probably come too soon for him.
Ramsey said: "I’m probably going to be a little bit short for the Old Firm game but hopefully I can get myself ready this week and look forward to getting ready for the weekend, really.
"I’ve had these conversations with the manager and the staff and hopefully we can get a plan in place to get going and back up to match fitness as soon as possible."
That means Ramsey, whose career in Italy has been plagued by injuries, is likely to make his Rangers debut against Hearts at Ibrox on Sunday.
The move north of the border is also a boost for Wales ahead of the World Cup play-offs in March.
Ramsey has played just 112 minutes of club football this season due to a series of fitness issues compared to 331 minutes for his country.
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Ironically, 71-cap Rambo and Wales could end up facing Scotland for a spot at the Qatar finals should they overcome Austria and Ukraine in their respective semi-finals.
But Ramsey, who received a good luck message on Instagram from ex-Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, now at Aston Villa, is just focussed on building up his match sharpness in the short-term.
He added: "Rangers is a massive club, huge around the world. It’s a possession-based team that plays the way I like to play.
"There are many benefits to being here, in European football and to experience a couple of the Old Firm games as well.
“I’m just excited to be here and be a part of that really. I just want to get back to playing and showing what I can do again. It’s a great opportunity here for me to do that.
“The last couple of years have been a bit difficult at times but for me now it’s about looking forward, pulling on that blue jersey and hopefully showing what I can do.”
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