The Gers are in Spain this week for a pre-season training camp ahead of next weekend’s SWPL curtain raiser away to Aberdeen.
And Wilkinson, who joined the Light Blues after spending two seasons at Southampton, insists the appeal of Rangers and the side’s will to win were decisive factors when it came to her decision to join the club.
Speaking to RangersTV in an exclusive Walk and Talk with fellow summer signing Laura Rafferty, Wilkinson said: “It’s a massive club and they’re passionate about winning, which matches everything that I’m about.
“Jo being the manager was a massive thing. I worked with her before and I know what she’s all about.
“She is quality out on the pitch and will help you be the best that you can possibly be, while also giving you a kick up the bum if you need one.”
Reflecting on her time at the Saints, where she scooped the Players’ Player of the Year award last term, the 29-year-old commented: “The aspect that I think back to when I remember Southampton are the people that I met.
“There were some unbelievable teammates that would have your back through absolutely everything.
“Often in football you don’t carry on that friendship when you go to different teams, life gets in the way, but the bond that I felt we created as a group of friends is something I look back on really fondly.”
The roots of Wilkinson’s journey to becoming a professional player lie in the influence of a certain former Manchester United and England forward.
However, she believes it was her own hard work and dedication which helped seal the breakthrough from being a part-time athlete to the professional circles of the game.
She added: “There wasn’t that many women playing on TV when I was small.
“I just loved the way Wayne Rooney played; he was aggressive, passionate, technical and gave everything.
“Being a professional footballer is always something that I wanted to do.
“I was still trying to train as much as I could and get in early when I was part time.
“I really pushed myself out of training to improve myself and to mirror what professional football would be.
“The transition felt like everything I was doing voluntary I was now doing with the guidance of people around me.
“I actually turned pro four or five years ago.
“I just love it, doing what I do everyday, something that I’m passionate about, and there’s nothing better.”