'It will be': Rangers star makes derby pledge and explains how mum kept him in football

Centre-half Makhanya has quickly become a first pick at centre-half for Rangers after making a £3 million switch from Philadelphia Union this summer. The 22-year-old has struck up a good partnership with Emmanuel Fernandez, keeping three clean sheets in four matches.

Makhanya is likely to face his sternest test in a Rangers shirt so far on Sunday when he and his teammates take on Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. But if the going gets tough, his journey to playing professional football in Europe should stand him in good stead.

Makhanya left his native South Africa when he was just 18 after being transferred to Philadelphia from Stellenbosch. He found adapting to life away from home difficult - and thanks his mother for giving him strength to remain in the States.

“My biggest challenge was probably when I first moved to the USA,” explained Makhanya. “When I got there, I wasn’t really getting game-time. I started struggling mentally a little bit, but I am happy I had the right people around me and they kept me going.

“My parents, especially my mum, played a really big role in me becoming a professional footballer. I went away from home for the first time, tried it, but things did not go well. I called my mum one day. I told her, 'I just want to come back, maybe focus on education because maybe football is not for me’.

“And the thing that she told me over the phone was that you left here with the intention of going to go play football. So I want you to do that. So I just had to keep on going until things came through for me.

“I would say my dad as well. And I would say my agency that I worked with at that time. They kept on motivating me. Even the coach that I used to work with when I was still young, he used to speak to me and just tell me that there will be a hard time but I just need to keep going.

“Honestly, I've never seen myself do anything else. I was just going to do dedication and see where it takes me. But I've always seen myself as a footballer.”

Makhanya’s family have not yet been able to watch him play for Rangers - but he hopes that will change soon. “We're working on that for them to come because there's some paperwork that needs to be done,” he explained.

They therefore won’t be in attendance for the first Old Firm derby of the season and Makhanya’s debut in the fixture. “I'm honestly expecting a really, really crazy game from the fans from, the first whistle to the last one,” he smiled.

Makhanya will hope for a better outcome than his derby experience while at Philadelphia. “I've played in the derbys against New York City in the MLS,” he said. “I've only played two. Lost one, drew one.

Asked if he hopes it will be different this time, the response was emphatic. “It will be!”