Kyle Lafferty admitted "looking like a clown" after breaking a finger on his left hand which left him facing six weeks on the sidelines.
The Rangers striker suffered the freak injury during horseplay with team-mate Gregg Wylde at the club's Murray Park training ground before last week's Champions League clash with Manchester United at Ibrox.
"I apologised to (manager Walter Smith) at the game and just said my stupidity had left me looking like a clown - and given him a bigger headache," Lafferty told the Scottish Sun.
"I was messing about while coming off the bus last Wednesday morning. I fell and fractured my wedding finger in two different places.
"Walter Smith didn't say anything at first, but I knew he was furious. We were already down to the bare bones for the Manchester United game.
"I don't know if I was starting against United, but I'd like to think I would have been because we were struggling for numbers.
"Walter had to go out and give a team-talk to the players who were featuring. I apologised to (manager Walter Smith) at the game and just said my stupidity had left me looking like a clown - and given him a bigger headache."
Smith was already without five established stars before the visit of the Red Devils and was forced in to playing rookie midfielder Kyle Hutton in the 1-0 defeat.
Lafferty, struggling to be fit for the January 2 derby against Celtic at Ibrox, added: "Because of my messing about I'm facing the possibility of a decent period out of the team.
"But that's my punishment and I've got to accept it. I'm annoyed with myself. It was wrong for me to be messing about on the day of the game."
Source: PA
