Desire strong as ever for Rangers’ Steven Davis

The Northern Ireland skipper remains one of Steven Gerrard’s key men even at the age of 36.

There appears to be no slowing down in his performances after he helped the Ibrox outfit claim their first Scottish league crown in a decade.

Those displays have earned Davis – who returned for his second spell with the Light Blues in January 2019 – a fresh 12-month contract.

But the veteran midfield star says he could hang around in Govan even longer as he eyes the fairy-tale ending of seeing out his career in blue.

“It would be a dream if I was able to stay at this level and finish my career at the club on a high,” Davis told BBC Northern Ireland. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but that would be the ideal scenario personally if that was the case.

“It’s difficult to plan ahead – you have to see how your body feels and ask, ‘mentally do you still have the desire?’ I certainly have that at this moment in time.

“I feel good physically and I’ve learnt from my former Northern Ireland team-mates Gareth McAuley and Aaron Hughes that when you get to this stage of your career you don’t look too far ahead.

“You need to be very professional, treat your body right and give yourself the best possible chance.

“You have to have a bit of luck with injuries along the way, you have to have a real desire to keep playing, but Gareth and Aaron played late into their 30s and were a great example to me of what is possible if you put your mind to it.

“My approach going into this season was to get as much out of it as I can and enjoy it as you don’t know how long you have got left.

“The body feels good and it’s great to sign for another year..we’ll reassess things again closer to the end of next season.”

There appeared to be plenty of life in Davis’ legs earlier this month as Britain’s record cap holder sprang into the air to score from an acrobatic overhead kick against Celtic.

Gers were unable to follow up on that Scottish Cup win as they were stunned by St Johnstone in Sunday’s quarter-final clash.

But Gerrard’s team still have the chance to complete an unbeaten Premiership campaign as they prepare for another Old Firm battle at Ibrox on Sunday.

It’s the first of three remaining hurdles to be overcome.

“I was delighted to get the goal,” added Davis, who previously netted against the Hoops in 2009 and 2011. “To score in an Old Firm game is massive and to have done that over three different decades is special.

“Not too many players can say they have done that.

“It was a big result for us and we know what it means to the fans.

“We are looking forward to the three remaining league games and want to finish the season as strongly as possible.

“It will be a special moment to get our hands back on the trophy and it’s just a pity the fans won’t be in the stadium to celebrate with us.

“One of the major disappointments is that the fans haven’t been able to get in when it has been such an important year for the club.

“We know we have that unwavering support behind the scenes but the last day of the season would be a special occasion with a full Ibrox.

“Some of the lads who joined us last summer haven’t had that experience yet and having them back is something we are really looking forward to.”

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