Last updated on .From the section Partick Thistle

Abdul Osman says he had a tough rise up the football ranks

Partick Thistle captain Abdul Osman found his first major injury absence so tough he launched a fashion range with the slogan "It's not easy".

The 30-year-old midfielder recently returned after an operation on a shoulder injury picked up in August.

"When you are out a long time, you always try to find other things to do," said the Ghanaian.

"Our keeper, Tomas Cerny, reads books and I thought, 'I like my fashion, so why not try something new?'"

Osman was back in the Thistle side for last month's Scottish Cup win over Queen of the South.

"It was unbelievable," he said of his time on the sidelines ahead of Tuesday's Scottish Premiership visit by Rangers.

"I was out for a long time and it was very stressful: lots of hard work behind the scenes and obviously I missed playing.

Abdul Osman (left) returned to the Thistle side last month

"As a footballer, when you don't play, it is probably your worst time ever.

"I haven't really had big injuries throughout my career and it was the first time I have been out for a long period and it was very difficult."

Osman said the slogan on his brand's shirts and caps was "something that stuck by me growing up" after progressing from the lower reaches of English football.

He began his senior career with Hampton & Richmond Borough then Maidenhead United in the National League before bursting into the Scottish top flight with Gretna in 2007.

After Gretna's plunge into liquidation, Osman had spells in England with Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra, along with Kerkyra in the Greek Superleague, before returning to Scotland with Thistle in 2014.

"It has always been tough," he added. "Obviously I didn't come through the academies and what not.

"I came through the hard way. So I thought, 'let's see what I can do with it'.

"'It's not easy' is a simple slogan. It comes off the tongue nicely and the boys relate to it."