DaMarcus Beasley thought that he would be nothing more than a cheerleader for the rest of the season, watching his Rangers team-mates claim four pieces of silver. Now, the quadruple is simply a memory and the American has been drafted back in to prevent another prize slipping through their fingers.

The 25-year-old winger’s season ended abruptly last November in a collision with Raphael Schäfer, the VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper, in a Champions League match. The knee ligament damage was deemed too great to even contemplate a return to action this term. He spent months back home in the United States recovering, following his colleagues’ progress on the internet as they reached the Uefa Cup final and seemingly had the Premier League title tied up, to add to their CIS Insurance Cup win.

Yet, if Rangers have run out of steam just at the end of the campaign, Beasley has made a well-timed reappearance. The former PSV Eindhoven player made a cameo substitute appearance against St Mirren last Monday and will play a part in today’s Scottish Cup final, insists his manager, Walter Smith.

“Maybe the guys could do with some fresh legs in the side,” Beasley said yesterday, as he and the rest of the Rangers camp came to terms with the loss of the championship to Celtic after their defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie. “Those who have played in the last few games will be keen to play in this final but we are all excited about it — it’s a chance to win another cup. I am maybe not at my sharpest yet but if I’m called on, I’m ready to play, and if not, then I will cheer my team on.

“There has been a lot of media hype about us in the last couple of months but we have still had a great season, whatever happens. When you consider that this was a team that had to bring 12 new players in last summer, we have done well.

“It has been strange looking on from a distance from the United States. I went back there after my injury to recuperate and I was getting up early in the morning at my parents’ home to watch the Rangers games on the internet. For the others in the squad who have not been involved all season, it has been frustrating but we all back each other up. When we lose, we all hurt, just like everyone else.”

It all seems a long time since Beasley captured the Champions League spotlight last October with a performance that tore Lyons apart in France, scoring one memorable goal and making two in Rangers’ 3-0 win in the Stade Gerland. It is ironic that on the same day that he returned to first-team duty at Paisley, Rangers announced that Steven Naismith would be out until next year after undergoing surgery for the cruciate ligament tear he suffered when Rangers were last at Hampden, for the semi-final win over St Johnstone.

Beasley feels he can help the Scotland under-21 forward over the physical and mental peaks and troughs that will mark out the route back to fitness. “I’ve spoke to Steven already about this,” Beasley said. “This was the first time for both of us to get a big injury. He is younger than me and will heal quicker but I told him that one week you are up and the next you are down and it is tough.

“You have to be around family and friends and people who love you, which is why I went back to America. Steven was down at first, but now he realises how long he will be out. That initial reaction is tough. Now he has had the surgery and he has been told he can start rehabilitation right away. I had to wait six weeks before mine had healed.”

The good thing for Beasley is that he has a hectic schedule over the next month playing for his country to help to fast-track his fitness for next season. Normally, Smith would not be too keen to see a player disappear at the end of the season on a strenuous international itinerary, but not this time. Beasley will head out of Hampden and head straight for London, where he will face England on Wednesday at Wembley.

“Two great stadiums in four days,” the man who has won 72 caps for the United States said. “I have a busy summer planned. After the England game, we have another friendly in Europe against Spain and then head back across the Atlantic. We have a game with Argentina on June 8 and then two World Cup qualifiers. I’m not going to get a holiday until June 24 and I doubt it will be taking a real break. I am eager to play. I’ve missed a lot of this season so I’m excited about playing these games. I just want to get back to playing football again.

“It is the same with the Scottish Cup final. I know Queen of the South are a first division team and that we are on a hiding to nothing. If we lost it would be a big disappointment after the highs of this season but I do not really see that happening. If we were playing a fifteenth division side in this game, we would still have the same desire to win.”