Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis says he’s still addicted to the “drug” of playing for club and country.
Davis may be 37 years old and 134 caps into a remarkable career that saw him captain his country at the Euro 2016 finals in France.
But the Rangers midfielder, who signed a new one-year deal with the Old Firm giants earlier this week, hasn’t lost his appetite for the game.
“As long as I feel I can still contribute at club and international level, I’m more than delighted to be doing both,” he said.
Read more: Steven Davis signs new Rangers contract as NI captain extends Ibrox stay
“It’s like a drug. You train all week, you work hard and you make sacrifices to get on the pitch and test yourself against other teams.
“The ambition is always to win games of football and achieve something together. If you lose that, it’s probably time to call it a day.”
The fact Davis has resolved his club future and restated his desire to play on at the highest level is a welcome development for Ian Baraclough.
Good news also for Northern Ireland fans who must have feared they were witnessing the final days of the Cullybackey native in a green shirt.
“In all honesty, I was always pretty relaxed about the situation,” said Davis of his new contract at Rangers.
“You always see how you feel at the end of the season and that’s the way it’s been for me the last couple of years.
“I was delighted to get it agreed. It was an easy conversation and an easy decision and I'm looking forward to a new season.”
Was there any question that Davis, who offered a reminder of his calming presence and qualities in last month's Scottish Cup and Europa League finals, would leave Ibrox this summer?
"Not really,” he said. “In January, things maybe looked a bit different with injuries and I wasn't playing, but thankfully I got myself in a good place towards the end of the season.
“I had an impact on the team which I always wanted to do. I still feel I've a lot to give and I'm delighted the club had the same thought process as me.”
With a new Rangers contract signed and sealed, Davis’ attention now turns to this month’s quadruple header in Group C2 of the Nations League, starting with Thursday night's opener against Greece.
Topping the pool, which concludes in September, opens up a potential play-off route to the Euro 2024 finals in Germany and Davis is eager to capitalise on the opportunity.
“There’s a play-off spot up for grabs and coming into this campaign, we’ve got really high expectations of ourselves,” he said.
“We’ve got four games in 10 days so that’s a challenge, but we want to get off to a good start against Greece and build from there.”
Tonight’s game conjures up special memories for Davis who scored twice in a 3-1 win over Greece in 2015, a result that sealed Northern Ireland’s place at Euro 2016.
“There were a lot of emotions going into that game because we knew what it would mean for ourselves as a group, our families and the nation,” he said.
“It was a really special night and ultimately led to an experience of a lifetime in France. It’s always going to be one of the fondest memories from my career.”
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