Maurice Edu saw it all during four rollercoaster years at Rangers.

The 46-times capped American international midfielder, now a top TV pundit in his homeland, experienced the lot.

Here in the closing instalment of a two-part interview with Iain King, he recalls an iconic European clash with Valencia that had his name all over it and examines his new life analysing Major League Soccer.

Maurice Edu may well have scored two on that Champions League night against Valencia, and he came so close to scoring an unconventional hat-trick.

The former Rangers and US Men’s National Team midfielder, now 37 and a highly respected TV analyst in the States, will never forget October 20, 2010, when Walter Smith’s side hosted the Spanish giants amidst a spine-tingling Ibrox atmosphere.

Rangers were in a daunting section that also included English behemoths Manchester United and emerging Turkish side Bursaspor. Still, they had raised expectations by scrapping to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.

Steven Naismith’s clincher then edged a 1-0 win over the Turkish outfit to ensure the old place was rocking to the rafters for the visit of Valencia.

One of those famous European nights beckoned when Edu bravely rose to head home a Vladimir Weiss corner and took a fist in his face from flapping keeper Cesar Sanchez for his troubles.

“I actually got knocked out scoring for our goal and I wish it had been the other way around and I got KO’d after the own goal,” Maurice grimaces looking back on the game.

“I felt so good in that game and people forget that I almost scored a hat-trick. When we were 1-0 up I had a shot that I caught so well on the half-volley and it beat the keeper but hit the post.”

Then came that fateful moment when Tino Costa’s treacherous free-kick swirled into the home side’s box just 45 seconds after the break. Edu got bumped a little jousting for the ball and his body turned in mid-air.

Time almost stood still, it was one of those wretched slow-motion moments as the ball bounced off his head and you just knew it was going to nestle in the corner of Allan McGregor’s net.

“I remember telling Gregsy after the match not to be too downhearted because my header for the own goal was a great finish and I caught it really well,” the American recalls.

“I always think back to that first-half shot, though, if that had gone in I was telling the boys I would have taken the match ball home. It was a massive moment for us as a club to compete so well with Valencia, we should have won that game.

“We played incredibly well and if we had won it we would have had a great chance of making it into the last 16 and out of such a tough group. We lost 3-0 away to Valencia, though, and that draw ultimately hurt us.

“I had come to the club to compete for titles and play in the Champions League and that was an incredible night. Yet, remember, we played away to Old Trafford and got a point in a 0-0 draw, not many players walk out of there with a result like that.”

Smith’s side would lose the Ibrox clash to Manchester United to a Wayne Rooney penalty three minutes from time before a dead rubber 1-1 draw with Bursaspor on matchday xix.

They went on to dump Sporting Lisbon out in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and make the last 16 of that tournament before being eliminated by PSV Eindhoven. Edu didn’t know it but his Rangers days were numbered.

The Premiership, a spell in Turkey, ironically with old Champions League foes Bursaspor, and then a return home to Major League Soccer with Philadelphia Union followed. Maurice hung up his boots with 46 USA caps in the locker and a reputation amongst his peers as a superb professional.

This January, when this writer was in Philadelphia for the United Soccer Coaches Convention, I visited the Union where former Gers Academy chief Tommy Wilson is now in charge of the superb youth set-up that underpins the success of that franchise.

As we explored Tommy’s life in the States over lunch he spoke glowingly about the influence of Edu on those around him during his days in Philly. The thoughtful style, the clear and concise communication, the buy-in Maurice could guarantee through his top-level experience.

It suggests the foundations of a top-level coach but Edu has instead chosen a different path, shining as a pundit on Apple TV, CBS and Fox.

He reasons: “The way my schedule is right now this career suits me with a young family. I have found a different way to approach still being involved in the game.

“It has given me a good transition from not being a player anymore. I have not ruled out coaching completely but right now it is not something that I am thinking of pursuing.

READ MORE: Maurice Edu part one - THAT Old Firm goal and the genius of Walter Smith 

“Maybe when my kids are older I might be drawn into it but if I am honest I am drawn more towards the business side of football now. I have worked with younger kids in the past and it drew me in so I guess we’ll see. I found that fulfilling and gratifying and I appreciated it.”

Increasingly in North America former sports stars examine how they can influence the clubs of the future – and not in the traditional sense of coaching the first team.

Don’t underestimate the impact of the story of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney this season. The Wrexham fairytale and the documentary series about the Welsh club’s promotion back into the English Football League has spawned huge news in the States.

“That intrigues me, life in the front office of a club, but who knows what is around the corner,” Maurice confesses speaking from his home in Las Vegas.

“Football is a crazy world and the business side is the lure for me right now, I feel I have some experience that could go a long way to helping a club. Look even ownership makes me think, completely owning and governing a club.

“Listen, there’s a ton of people I respect in this TV business but I never modelled myself on anyone. I never grew up thinking I would be doing this for a living. I grew up wanting to be a footballer or a movie star! I was never looking at a broadcaster and thinking about their role and how they did it.

“I have people I talk to for pointers doing this job and I also have other ex-players who work in this space that I can turn to. I can ask blunt questions and get feedback from them.”

Edu was always a footballer who marched to a different beat.

Back in his Rangers days as a player, he was a fascinating interview subject and never relied on the stock-in-trade answers some protect themselves with. The son of Nigerian immigrant parents, his dad was a maths teacher and his mum taught chemistry.

Younger brother Reggie is also a teacher and guides a youth football club in California.

Maurice’s own educational background – he starred for the University of Maryland for three years as a Varsity player - ensures he does more than scratch the surface when he is a studio analyst or a co-commentator on games.

“There are a lot of avenues I could go down in football in the future I guess,” he adds.

“Right now, though, I am fully focused on giving my TV craft my all and learning that. I am still a student of the game and I am listening, exploring, watching and learning every day.

“With MLS I am calling games as a co-commentator and with Fox and CBS I do more studio work. One of the aspects that makes it more enjoyable now is that you can use all the tools you have at your disposal to educate the fans on a game and they are also far more educated to start with.

“So for an ex-pro like myself, you can break down the play and add context to the experience. That allows the fans to see the play in a different way, I try to illustrate what created that space, what runs were made, how did the defender’s positioning influence it?

“I think my job is to add the depth and we have those tools that are the next step as the sport evolves.

“We did the World Cup from Qatar with Fox and we had this massive stage that opened the door to how we could tell the story. I don’t feel the same nerves as I did when I played, the consequences are different.

“In a game, I knew this was the end of my week’s work, it had all been building up to this. I’d wait to get my first touch and settle into my zone. Yet there were consequences to me losing a tackle or missing a pass and they could be severe.

“That’s not there on TV but the nerves still come because I am a relative newcomer, it’s my second career. I have tried to be authentic and be myself and when I’m not I ask those I work with to hold me accountable. I want to sound like me and the people I work with have allowed me to find my voice.

“If I fail at this then I fail but I need to do that by just being myself, that’s important to me.”