Kyle thrilled to be back

The 31-year-old Kyle has been struggling with injury problems over the past 18 months, mainly nursing a hip complaint that has required two operations to fix.

Now he has been given an opportunity to prove he can stay fit and help Rangers in its quest to return to the Scottish Premier League as soon as possible.

After leaving Hearts in March, it was simply getting back out on the pitch that made Kyle happy, especially as it was at Ibrox in front of more than 38,000 fans.

"I'm still in shock about the whole thing," he told The Sun.

"I really enjoyed my debut and it was a long time coming. I've waited 19 months to kick a ball again so I'm delighted.

"It's great to be here at Rangers, what an opportunity. I only got 10 minutes, but it was great to be on the park again.

"It was a proud moment being out there playing for Rangers. It was an even prouder moment for myself that I never gave up and kept going."

The Scotland international revealed he was sent for hernia and groin operations before getting the necessary treatment on his troublesome hip.

All of those procedures led to him missing a year and a half of football but he was always determined to prove the doubters wrong.

"It's hard when you're sent to dummies who tell you that you will never play again," he said.

"But it's amazing what happens when you work with the right people - you get back playing football."