John Rankin is hoping Dundee United will be jetting off on a European adventure next season even although he could have a problem or two going through airport security.
The 30-year-old received a big shock when the results of a scan revealed there was a piece of metal lodged in his knee.
The medical procedure had been carried out prior to a tidy-up op the midfielder received last summer, with the offending object a remnant from previous surgery he had done while he was playing at Inverness.
The metal was too deeply embedded to be removed but Rankin says it is something that does not bother him. However, that might all change if he suddenly starts setting off airport security scanners.
The player, who will be at the heart of the United midfield against champions Celtic this lunchtime, said: “There is a bit of metal left in my knee from the first time I had an op on it when I was at Inverness.
“It has been there for years, so I haven’t known any different. It has been fine, but I didn’t know it was there until I went for my scan last year.
“I’m not sure how or why it is there, but when they operated in the summer they found it was deep in my knee so they just decided to leave it as it is not causing me any problems.
“To be honest, when you have a wee niggly injury like I had, you are trying to play through it until you can have a tidy-up.
“But now when I look back at it, last season because of it I couldn’t turn over my right shoulder at all.
“I would just feel my knee click, so I always moved to my left but now I am moving a lot freer this season so it was definitely the right decision to have the tidy-up.
“The metal will be left there though as it is now part of me, but I might need to have a rethink after the summer if I am getting beeped going through airport security leaving on holiday.
“Seriously, though, it is not something I am worried about.”
Earlier this week, Rankin’s 22-year-old team-mate Stuart Armstrong revealed he is already looking to what he will do once his football career is over by studying for a law degree.
Rankin, who became Professional Footballers Association Scotland chairman in February, says all players need to have something to fall back on as it is a short career.
He said: “Stu is studying for a law degree and Willo (Mark Wilson) is studying for one in history. They are looking after what they are going to do once they have left the game.
“Stu has done it from an early age, but older ones are looking after themselves as well now. So I suppose it is quite an intelligent dressing-room.
“You just don’t know what’s going to happen as a footballer. We had a young boy who had signed for us who was injured in his last game for his school.
“I played with his dad Stuart Garden (at Ross County), but his son Jordan is now having to look elsewhere to try to get an education, something to fall back on.
“It was terrible for the boy but it is an example of what can happen in the game and how you have to look after yourself for the future.
“It is important that when you are at school you study properly and have something to fall back on.
“At the PFA, we always support the boys in whatever they want to do. It is an avenue that players need to explore because it is a short career.
“The way the world is economically, especially in Scotland, we need to look after ourselves for when we are finished with the game.”
While United play Celtic today, the game everyone is talking about is next week’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Ibrox against Rangers.
However, Rankin insists that at the moment, the players are focused on the game against the league champions.
He added: “A few people have asked, ‘What about the semi-final?’. But it hasn’t even been discussed.
“There has always been something for us to play for and we now have a game against the champions, so the semi is not something we have had time to dwell on or think about.
“We have a lot to play for between now and the end of the season.
“Sometimes when you get to this stage of the campaign boys begin to switch off, but we can still finish in second and make a cup final.”
United will be without the injured Curtis Good, while Calum Butcher is a doubt.