Crusaders new boy Aidan Wilson hopes to bring a Rangers mindset to Seaview after signing a two year contract on the Shore Road.
Wilson played twice for the Old Firm giants as a teenager under former boss Pedro Caixinha and spent 14 years in total with the Ibrox club from the age of seven.
Now 21 and following his release by the Light Blues in May, the former Scotland U19 captain is eager to get his career back up and running in North Belfast.
“The opportunity to come and play in a top division, chase European football and silverware and work under a good manager were big incentives,” said Wilson.
“I’m grateful for what Rangers did for me over 14 years, but you reach an age where you need to go and play regular football.
“I was a free agent back home in Scotland when I got a phone call from Crusaders. I played a couple of recent friendlies, trained with the lads and really enjoyed it.
“I spoke to Stephen after training on Thursday night and we managed to get everything sorted which I’m delighted about.”
Wilson, who spent loan spells with Dunbarton and Forfar during his time at Rangers, made his debut for the Ibrox club in a 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen in front of 48,000 fans in May 2017.
James Tavernier, Kenny Miller, Josh Windass and Martyn Waghorn were teammates that day, while the likes of Lee Wallace and Clint Hill were also in Caixinha’s squad.
“To make my debut at Ibrox was an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “There were also a lot of top pros at Rangers and players you could learn off.
“Hopefully I can bring those experiences and my 14 years at Rangers to Crusaders and it helps me do really well in Northern Ireland.”
Leeds United star Stuart Dallas and Cardiff City winger Gavin Whyte have used Crusaders as a platform to secure cross channel moves in the recent past.
But Wilson, currently apartment hunting in Belfast, isn’t looking beyond hitting the ground running in the Irish League which is due to kick off next month.
“When you see what the likes of Stuart and Gavin have done with their careers, the pathway is there, but I’m not going to look too far ahead,” he said.
“I just want to get back playing football again and do well with Crusaders, to be honest. That’s all I’m focused on.”
