The 19-year-old midfielder had been ruled out of action since August 2022 after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in training.
Indeed, McInally was only seven days into his return from a lateral cruciate ligament injury to the same knee which he sustained late on in a victory over Gretna 2008 four months previously.
Compounding the teenager’s misery was the knowledge that he had suffered his second ACL injury in just two years having spent exactly a year out of action after sustaining the issue for the first time as a 16-year-old.
Although the rehabilitation process doesn’t get any easier, McInally is grateful to the support he received from the club, as well as the words of wisdom from Davis who was on the mend from his own ACL injury at the same time.
Speaking exclusively to RangersTV, the 19-year-old reflected: “There were a few days where you’re in the gym, alone, all the boys are out training on the pitch and you just want to be out with them.
“But those are the days that you need to get through because once you’ve done the hard work, you’ll get the benefits at the other side.
“It’s such hard work because at the start you’re re-learning how to walk and run, especially starting from scratch. It’s so much hard work; 12 weeks of gym then a further 12 weeks out on the pitch before you’re even allowed to join in with contact training.
“The club as a whole has been really good to me throughout. Steven Davis also sustained the same injury as me at the same time and he was very helpful; always texting me and he kept up to date.
“A few of the coaches have also experienced similar injuries and they told me to keep my head down because there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
“I couldn’t thank [the medical staff] enough. One physio in particular, Stevie Walker, has done everything for me and worked all sorts of hours to get me back and I appreciate it a lot.”
The sequence of events is still fresh in McInally’s mind, with few players in professional football having experienced such extreme injury misfortune as the 19-year-old over the last 12 months.
He continued: “It was a huge blow considering I had such a good start to my pre-season, playing a few games, but in the 80th minute an opponent left a little bit on me.
“I hurt my knee again and, although fortunately it wasn’t as bad as the first time, it was still a huge blow considering what I had went through.
“Obviously I had been through it before and I knew what was coming; a lot of leg work and a lot of gym. It gave me the opportunity to work on different aspects and put in a lot of upper body work.
“I actually had quite a good start [in my recovery from the injury] as I was out on the pitch really soon. I managed to do it again which was another huge below as it set me back again. I managed to get back onto the pitch and feel good again.
“I was back training and feeling good, but I was only a week into training and I managed to get injured again and I suffered an ACL injury just as bad as the first one [in 2020].
“It was a terrible feeling to be honest, but I just knew I had to get on with it.”
Such is the midfielder’s strength of mind that he returned ahead of schedule earlier this month, marking his first competitive minutes with a goal in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
McInally hopes his injury troubles are behind him, with the time he has spent off the pitch having hardened the teenager’s love of the game.
He added: “It’s when you first get the boots on and get out on the grass, start to get a touch of the ball again and it reminds you of what you’re here to do.
“I went into training with no fear because whatever happens will happen at the end of the day. I was buzzing to get back in among the boys and it was good fun.
“It’s been really good to get the opportunity to build other areas. I can definitely feel the benefits of that now that I’m back.
“It was such a good feeling [returning] after a year, and it was good to grab a goal as well!
“I want to stay fit for as long as possible, then make the next step and see what happens.”
You can watch the full interview with McInally following his return from injury on RangersTV now!