Steven Davis admits injury setbacks have been frustrating this season but he's determined to finish the season strongly for club and country.
Davis is out of contract at Rangers in the summer and has only featured once since Giovanni Van Bronckhorst took over from Steven Gerrard in November due to being hit by a host of niggling injuries.
However the 37-year-old made a step in the right direction with a 30 minute cameo for Northern Ireland on Friday as he returns to full fitness.
“It’s always frustrating,” said Davis.
“I’ve missed out on some big games and just when I felt I was getting myself back to a good position I’ve picked up another injury. It’s part and parcel of football.
“The good thing is they’ve been minor injuries but it’s been two consecutively on the bounce.”
Davis is in line to start for his country when they face Hungary on Tuesday, after coming off the bench to score his 13th international goal in Friday’s 3-1 win over Luxembourg.
He added: “It was really nice to get on the pitch and build up fitness.
“It’s been a good week for me so far. Hopefully I can get some more minutes tomorrow and take another step in the right direction.”
When teased on what his next steps could be Davis insists, for now, it's all about building up fitness ahead of an important run in as Rangers look to retain the Premiership title.
“I’ve not really thought about too much beyond the end of this season", said Davis.
“It’s the same situation I’ve been in these last couple of years in terms of contract talks only coming to fruition at this kind of stage.
“My main aim coming into this week was to try and get some fitness and play for your country another couple of times, come away with some good performances and help us prepare for the games in June.
"Then go back to the club for a really important run-in and then see how things are after that.
“You always reflect, the same as I said after the last campaign. It was about reflection and there were so many questions, would I retire or not?
“It was never really at the forefront of my mind.
"I think it’s important, especially as you get older, you can’t look too far ahead and it’s important I just finish this season strongly and go from there.”
