With the World Cup looming, Beasley is hitting form at just the right time
Rangers manager Walter Smith hopes winger DaMarcus Beasley has put talk of leaving Ibrox behind him.
The US international was considering a move because he feared a lack of action would cost him a World Cup place.
"He wasn't getting a regular game here but that wasn't always due to the fact he wasn't getting picked," said Smith.
"Sometimes he wasn't available but he is now and there's no reason for him to move. I don't think so anyway as long as he is getting an opportunity."
Beasley has started Rangers' last three matches and Smith believes the 27-year-old can be a key player for the club he joined from PSV Eindhoven in June 2007.
The American, who is out of contract at the end of the season, scored his first goal since the 2008 Scottish Cup final with a screamer in the 3-0 win over Dundee United on Tuesday - as well as laying on the visitors' third.
Reflecting on Beasley's earlier concerns, Smith told the club website: "The lad's comments before were quite simple. He said he had to try to get games so that he could be included in the World Cup.
DaMarcus is playing very well for us at the moment and scored a terrific goal at Tannadice
Rangers manager Walter Smith
"That's an acceptable factor because he wasn't getting a regular game here but that wasn't always due to the fact he wasn't getting picked.
"DaMarcus is playing very well for us at the moment and scored a terrific goal at Tannadice.
"After coming back from his serious knee problem, he has had things go wrong with his hamstring and his groin.
"In the last two or three months, he has settled down and looked sharper in training. He's obviously now playing well in games too.
"DaMarcus has enough experience and enough caps that if he does play, he'll be in with a very good chance of being selected for the USA's squad."
Beasley played in all three of the USA's games at the 2006 World Cup and has scored 17 goals in a long international career.
Hoping to join Beasley in the US squad is Ibrox team-mate Maurice Edu, who is close to making a first team comeback after summer knee surgery.
The 23-year-old midfielder is determined to play a major role in the second half of the season for both club and country and is thrilled at the prospect of playing in South Africa next year.
The United States will be up against England, Algeria and Slovenia in Group C.
The game against Algeria could see Beasley and Edu go up against club-mate Madjid Bougherra.
And Edu said: "I sent Madjid a text after we were drawn together and he was excited because he had wanted that to happen, so we had some joking back and forward.
"It was fun because the whole week leading up to it, he had been telling me 'I want to play the USA'.
"Once it was drawn that way, we were in touch straight away and it will definitely make for some fun in the build-up."
He added: "It was funny the way things worked out because I was interviewed the day before the draw and was asked which teams I would like to get.
"I had said England and, of course, Algeria because of Madjid, and those were the first two teams to come out, so it should definitely be an interesting summer."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?