Rangers starlet Glenn Middleton has delivered a statement of intent revealing how eager he is to succeed at Ibrox, which will undoubtedly be music to the ears of new manager Steven Gerrard.
The youngster suffered a career set back at Championship side Norwich City, where despite coming through the ranks, he was informed that he was surplus to requirements at Carrow Road.
Middleton, 18, only signed for the Light Blues in the winter transfer window, and has a contract with the Light Blues until 2020.
The left-sided midfielder made a whopping 53 appearances in total last season, scoring six goals and assisting four across all competitions he was involved in at youth level.
As quoted in The Scottish Sun, the Scotland U21 international showed his determination after being released by the Canaries: “To get that experience, albeit a negative one, so young will help me long-term. I’ve learnt that things aren’t straightforward.
“I know now I’m not going to reach the top just by turning up for training every day.
“Someone’s going to say something you don’t like or someone will do things you don’t agree with. Even when you’re doing well you can still get a kick up the backside.
“No matter how well you think you’re doing, someone’s opinion is going to be different. That’s where I was lucky in that the people at Rangers had a different opinion.
“I know how hard I’ve been working since then. It’s given me the drive to move forward in my career.”
OPINION:
This is the kind of determination Gerrard will not just love to hear, he will recognise it in himself. The former Liverpool captain was a commanding general of the midfield but if he lacked the steel he had to succeed in the centre of the park, he would have been nowhere near as good as he proved himself to be. At 18, Middleton has some way to go before he is given an opportunity in the first-team but having the right attitude is half of the battle and the youngster clearly has that. You only have to look at players like Harry Kane to see what a setback can do for a career. The Tottenham and England star was rejected by Arsenal at a young age but he used that to prove the doubters wrong – and look where he is today. Now this is not to say that the left-flanker will go on to become the next Kane but he can use the Spurs ace as an example of how being rejected by a club does not necessarily spell the end of your career and you can go on to bigger and better things.