Novo born again at Rangers

At the beginning of the season Nacho Novo was so far out of the first-team picture at Rangers FC that he was almost quite literally sent to Coventry.

European goals
However, goals against AS Livorno Calcio, Maccabi Haifa FC and AJ Auxerre in the UEFA Cup have transformed the fortunes of the Spanish striker who is now looking to consolidate the Glasgow side's position as Group A leaders in their final group stage game at home to FK Partizan. "There was a lot of pressure on me in the game against Livorno," Novo told uefa.com. "It was my chance to prove myself and at the same time I knew that if I played badly, it could have been the end for me at Rangers. That is why I was so happy when I scored. It was as if I was saying, 'I am still here'."

Forgotten man
Novo could be forgiven for feeling like the forgotten man of Rangers. From being the hero two years ago when he scored the goal that clinched the Scottish Premier League title on the final day of the season, the 27-year-old forward had slipped into the shadows at Ibrox. A succession of injuries prevented him from making a sustained impression last season and until the game against Livorno, Novo had been restricted to the fringes of the squad under new manager Paul Le Guen this term. A move to English side Coventry City FC looked to be on the cards until Novo had a change of heart after taking advice from Rangers legend Mark Hateley.

'He was right'
"Football is my life and I was close to leaving because I wasn't playing," he said. "It was a hard time for me but Mark helped me a lot. He told me to stay, to be patient, keep working and that my chance would come. He was right and now it is up to me to keep playing well and score more goals starting with the game against Partizan. A point will be good enough to be first in our group but we want a win to give us confidence going into the game against Celtic [on Sunday]."

Homesick striker
In the recent past Novo has spoken of a desire to return to his homeland and play in the Primera División, but having regained his first-team place at Rangers, the former Dundee FC and Raith Rovers FC player now appears content to finish his career in Scotland. "Of course it would be nice to play in Spain some day, but when I said I was unhappy I wasn't getting a game for Rangers," said Novo. "Now that I am back in the first team I am happy again and as long as that remains the same I would be content to finish my career at Rangers."

Final prospects
With the final of this season's UEFA Cup scheduled for Glasgow's Hampden Park, Rangers have extra motivation to perform well, but Novo is cautious about their prospects. "We must think about getting to the final, but it will be hard for us because we have a young side and there will be a lot of strong teams coming into the competition from the UEFA Champions League," he said.