Lawrence Shankland has revealed he rushed through his Rangers transfer to ensure nothing distracted him from living out his World Cup dream with Scotland.
The striker sealed a pre-window switch from Hearts to Ibrox before linking up with Steve Clarke’s squad, activating a clause that allowed him to leave Tynecastle for nothing and join his boyhood club.
The move has left a sour taste among Hearts supporters after a season that ended in title heartbreak, with Shankland playing a key role in their charge and tormenting Rangers along the way.
But the 30-year-old insists the timing of the deal was crucial as he prepares for the biggest stage of his career. “Obviously I finished the season pretty strong, so confidence was already high,” he said.
“To join my boyhood club, somewhere that I've always had a dream to play, and to get that opportunity, especially in the later stages of your career, I'm just happy and excited.
“It can give you that wee boost, and hopefully it does going into these games.”
Shankland delayed his arrival into Scotland camp by 24 hours to complete the move, and says it was a no-brainer to get it done before heading to the World Cup. “I was due to meet up with Scotland on the Tuesday, but I had to delay to the Wednesday for my medicals and stuff,” he added.
“I felt like it was pretty important for me to get it done before I came here. When you come to a World Cup, you want to enjoy that experience. I don’t think I wanted anything hanging over my head with my club football so I was quite keen to get things wrapped up.”
Read more
-
Ex-Rangers star calls for marginalised squad man to get more game time next season
-
Ex-Rangers star tipped for Ibrox return high on EFL side's shopping list
-
I've long been excited about Rangers starlet but here's what impressed me most
Despite his emotional exit from Hearts, Shankland admits the lure of Rangers was impossible to ignore. “Obviously, it was a big decision for me, leaving Hearts. It's a great club. I've got a lot of good times and good memories there,” he said.
“But the opportunity to go and join Rangers is one that I couldn’t really turn down. As I said, it was just important that I got that sorted before I came here.
"Then, full focus on the World Cup.”
Shankland has already made his mark in a Scotland shirt this summer, firing a double in the 4-1 friendly win over Curacao to put himself firmly in contention to start against Haiti.
And the striker admits he’s desperate to deliver on football’s biggest stage. “Everybody will aim to leave their stamp here,” he said.
“As a striker, that’s what you're judged on so of course I’d love to get on the scoresheet at the World Cup. But as long as the team's winning and I’m playing my part, I’d be happy as well.”
The significance of the moment has also been driven home by captain Andy Robertson, who handed each squad member a special gift ahead of the tournament.
“Andy actually left us a wee letter the other night and gave us a couple of wee gifts to say well done for being in the squad,” Shankland revealed.
“The numbers on that, when he put the significance of how many people there are and how little people are in this squad, it was huge. That added to the importance of it.”
