JOHN Souttar believes it is an exciting time for everyone involved with Rangers as the defender signed a contract extension with the club.
The 29-year-old was speaking in an exclusive interview with RangersTV after completing the new deal which will see him at the club until the summer of 2027, with Rangers holding the option of an additional year.
Souttar insists his focus was always on the pitch but is delighted to have his future confirmed ahead of an important few months for the squad.
He said: “I love playing here, so I always made that clear. There are things that can take time, but thankfully in the end it has all been sorted.
“I was always thinking about the team and the club. There is so much happening here that you don’t really have time to think about yourself.
“There have been a lot of ups and downs throughout my time here, a lot of changes, but hopefully now we are in a settled period. With the owners coming in it has given the club a real foundation to kick on and I think it has got to be an exciting time to be a part of this club whether you are a member of staff, a player or a fan.
“I think it is really exciting. It is important we keep delivering on the pitch and if we do that then I think everyone will really reap the benefits.”
One of the more senior players in the group, Souttar feels he has naturally grown into a leadership role in his four seasons at the club. He continued: “Before I came here, I had that at Hearts a bit, obviously this is a totally different club.
“Tav is our leader, and Tav is the one when he is on the pitch everyone looks up to, but when he is not there, I have got the armband. There are a lot of leaders there, a lot of boys who have played international football and the boys that have got a lot of experience, and it is a good place to be.”
Souttar hopes the January signings, and the competition within the squad can help push the team in a huge run of fixtures.
He said: “We were probably too open and conceding too many goals and I think the manager has made us solid and now we have had 10 games unbeaten. I think people have come into their own as well and we have brought in some really good players in January, you could see that at the weekend.
“It takes time to bed in here at the best of times, never mind in January, it is even tougher to come in and really hit the ground running, but I think the lads have and they have created real competition for places.
“They are good lads as well so that was a boost for us, and it has pushed us on and hopefully that will be the difference.”
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