Rangers striker Martyn Waghorn happy to sacrifice time off for shot at Europe

Martyn Waghorn (Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)

RANGERS front man Martyn Waghorn insists he will happily sacrifice an extended summer break if it means getting a taste of European action.

Boss Pedro Caixinha was on Thursday forced to insist there is no discord among his squad over plans for pre-season.

Reports have suggested the Ibrox manager is considering extending his players’ holiday time in order to head off a brewing row sparked when he originally granted them just nine days of downtime.

The Daily Record claimed plans that would see the players report back on June 1 had caused friction with the likes of skipper Lee Wallace and striker Joe Garner, as they were having to shift wedding arrangements.

But Caixinha says his men – who round off their season away to St Johnstone on May 21 – are on board with his training schedule as they eye up the Europa League qualifiers, which kick off on June 29.

Asked if players had expressed concern over the amount of time off they were getting between campaigns, Caixinha replied: “Not at all. They are hard workers. They are professionals.”

And Waghorn backed his boss’ version of events, insisting he does not mind giving up time off with crucial European clashes just weeks away.

“There has been a lot made of the time off over the past day or so and, yeah, it is short and it’s not ideal, but it happens and we are back for good reason,” he said.

“We are back early because the European schedule dictates it, but you just have to get your feet up for 10 days and then get back to it.

“I am more excited about the prospect of being in Europe and it is one of those things that you’ve just got to get on with.

“You come to Rangers to play in these competitions and it is just the way the fixtures fall, but you can’t go into a busy European schedule not prepared.

“The time off has all been worked out strategically and you just have to deal with it.

“Luckily my wedding was a couple of years ago, so that saved that problem. I always leave booking my holidays late because you never know what can happen, so I’ve not had to cancel anything.”