Kilmarnock winger Jordan Jones has revealed he has been blown away by the amount of scrutiny he has come under since signing a pre-contract with Rangers and that he has been speaking with those already at Ibrox to get his head around it.
The 24-year-old will be heading to Glasgow this summer on a free transfer as his Killie contract comes to an end and was one of two to agree terms back in January, Glen Kamara turning his proposed move to Ibrox permanent early in a late winter deal.
With Jones facing the prospect of switching sides in the Premiership, he admitted he was stunned at how much more attention is on him, discussing how conversations with Kyle Lafferty and Steven Davis have helped.
He told the Scottish Sun: “It’s hard to deal with because you know you’re going to a club in the same league. And since I’ve signed it’s a totally different thing. Even simple things like putting something on Instagram, the papers are making stories.
“Not that I’ve put anything bad on, but you see you’re right under the microscope. When I got released by Middlesbrough there wasn’t really any clubs throwing contracts at me. This is a different position.
“I’ve realised myself, but they’ve let me know, especially Davo (Steven Davis) and Laffs (Kyle Lafferty). (Kris) Boyd used to play for them and we’ve had a few words about how I need to conduct myself and how careful I have to be about anything I’m doing.”
Opinion
Welcome to the world of the Old Firm Jordan. Whether it be Rangers or Celtic you are signing for, your whole world will be turned upside down with the amount of attention you get both on and off the pitch. From social media posts to off-hand comments in public or press conferences, everything will be analysed to within an inch of its life by fans, pundits and the media. That is the draw of football in Glasgow and you have got to make sure you are prepared to enter into a world unlike any other in Scottish, or even British, football. It seems Jones has been a bit overwhelmed by it all but it should not take him too long to acclimatise. The real pressure comes when you step onto the turf at Ibrox for the first time with the Bears cheering – or jeering – your name. How will he handle that? Only time will tell, but he has some experienced allies on his side to make the transition a little smoother.