ROSS McCrorie admits he always hoped he could return to Rangers one day as he shared his excitement at linking up with former manager Derek McInnes at Ibrox.
The defender was announced as the second signing of the summer transfer window and insists his time away has allowed him to develop as a player and a character.
Speaking in an exclusive interview for RangersTV, McCrorie said: “I really enjoyed it down in England, it was a top top league, but the only way I would’ve come back to Scotland was for Rangers.
“At the time, I had to leave, for me it was part of my development, I had to go and experience something new, to play in a team and try to develop myself as a player and a character, and it was a great experience and a great learning curve.”
Coming through the Academy from the age of 9, being back at the training centre and seeing some familiar faces brought back good memories for McCrorie.
He continued: “They’ve all known me since I was a little kid. It has been a long time, but to see a lot of faces still here is amazing.
“As a kid, when you grow up at Rangers, the characteristics to be able to play at this club are instilled in you from an early age.
“It is all about winning, you have got that winning mentality as a kid, and even back in the day, it was the same.”
It was Derek McInnes who signed McCrorie for Aberdeen from Rangers, and he is looking forward to working under him again.
“I remember the first time he signed me, I had a house out in East Kilbride, and he came to my house, and he was the one that persuaded me to go to Aberdeen.
He has been a big influence on my career; he was the one that gave me the belief to go and crack on and unlock the talent I know I had.
“The gaffer is a bit old school as well, but you need that at times, you need that hard side, because it is not easy to be at a club like Rangers and the mentality needs to be there, especially this season.
“I’ve been frustrated as a fan watching in the last few years because I want to see the club win. That is why I am back, I want to come and help the team win trophies.”
On taking on the number 2 at Rangers, which was held by James Tavernier for over a decade, he continued: “I am really good friends with Tav, I played with him for a few years, and he has known me since I was a kid when I first broke in.
“For me, when I was coming back, I have been number two for my previous clubs for the last five or six years. When I first broke through at Rangers, I was number 40, and I phoned and asked the gaffer if I could take number two because that is my number, and I’ve made it my own in the last few years.”
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