There is a poignancy about Chris Burke's profile on the official Rangers website: "The youngster, whose style has been compared to that of Willie Henderson, is one of the most exciting prospects at the club and great things are expected of him." The words were written several years ago but the sentiment is still largely applicable today. Burke, though, can no longer still be considered a raw youth bursting with latent talent.

The winger still retains a genial, boyish charm but, with his 25th birthday fast approaching and having been at Rangers since the turn of the century, the next few years will decide whether he is eventually remembered as the stylish entertainer who scored twice on his Scotland debut or as a peripheral figure who never truly fulfilled his potential.

The rest of his Rangers profile contains more highs and lows than a weekend spent clubbing with Bez. The positives include a debut goal against Kilmarnock, collecting the club's Player of the Year accolade for season 2005/06, and the afore-mentioned Scotland bow where he emerged from the subs bench to net twice in a 5-1 Kirin Cup win over Bulgaria.

Achieving consistency, though, has been a problem, with the player spending as much time in the Murray Park treatment room over the past six years as he has on the pitch.

The list of knocks and bruises suffered would fill a medical encyclopaedia to the point that you wonder whether it is safe to shake hands with him without causing further damage. He is currently on the road back to fitness again after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his ankle following an injury sustained in the Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone in April.

There is almost a look of benign resignation on his face as he once again addresses the injuries that have blighted his career. Burke has always been a willing, good-natured subject when it comes to media interviews but, more often than not, the questions centre on the progress he is making from yet another unplanned career break.

"In a career its rare for you to have highs all the time - you do get lows," he said. "I've experienced a few of them which is mostly down to injuries which is disappointing. It's not my fault I'm injured. I just wish there was a pill I could take that could make you fit all the time. But these things happen. All I can do is deal with it and bounce back from it. You need a lot of mental as well as physical strength as you feel you are stop-start all the time.

"There are days you come in here and you wonder, why am I injured?' or why can I not be out there training?' as I wish I could be doing that. Playing is my job, it's what I'm paid to do, but when you can't do that, through injury or whatever, then it hurts whether you're a teenager, a 20 year-old or someone older like David Weir.

"There have been many players who have had great seasons and then not played to the same level the next season. It's difficult but you have to maintain that high level every season. That's hard to do, be it because of injuries, a different manager coming in, or just not playing to your full capability. Every year is different."

Burke, speaking to promote a Q&A session for young season ticket holders to be held at Ibrox later today, has been with Rangers since 2000 when he turned down Celtic's overtures to sign a professional contract at Ibrox.

His early promise prompted a rash of comparisons, including with Willie Henderson, the great Ibrox winger of the 1960s and 1970s, but when injuries and loss of form contributed to a fallow period the inevitable brickbats followed. The player is philosophical about the labels attached to any prospect's rise and subsequent fall and knows there will only be one person at fault if his current contract - due to expire at the end of the season - isn't renewed.

"When you first break through, and it's the same with any player, then you always get this label that you're the next whoever and at the Old Firm it's magnified. So you get built up and if you don't make it you get shot down. You have to expect that at a club like Rangers or Celtic and you have to deal with it. I would love to stay here beyond his current deal but that's down to me. I need to look at myself in the mirror.

"If I want to stay here it's down to me to prove to everybody I deserve it. I'm not going to be blaming anybody else. I don't know what will happen in the six months but I would happily stay here for the rest of my career."

International week brings with it a renewed sense of longing. The 24 year-old has not played for his country since appearing in the goalless draw with Japan in May 2006 but has sufficient confidence in his own abilities to envisage a future call-up.

"I enjoyed my time when I got my call with Scotland. To score two goals for your national team on your debut is going to be one of, if not the, high of your career. It was a great moment for me and I hope I can get back to that level. If you've played for your country before and showed what you can do then you must think you could do it again. That's up to me to get back to my full potential again. Any player that's not involved in international weekend will be thinking, I wish I was there'." Burke is edging closer to a return to first-team football with Rangers after recovering fully from ankle surgery. "It was a massive operation but the guy who did it did a great job and said it would be three to four months before I was back. It was the same person who did Barry Ferguson's ankle so that made me feel a bit better given the great job he did for Barry.

"My ankle now feels back to its old self which is reassuring. Sometimes when you come back from a serious operation you wonder if you're not going to be as quick as before or be able to do the things you could before it happened. But I'm happy with how it all went and now I just need to get back match sharpness."

Regaining fitness is one thing. It is whether he can maintain it or not that will ultimately shape Burke's reputation.