Aaron Ramsey last night admitted he was blown away by the size and scale of Rangers after knocking back a Premier League return to seal his sensational deadline-busting move to Ibrox.
But the new Gers hero admits tomorrow’s Old Firm clash may come too soon after registering just 71 minutes of action in the last three months.
The Gers faithful spent yesterday in a frenzy as news broke the 31-year-old Juventus and Wales ace was on his way to Glasgow to complete a bombshell six-month loan.
Crowds gathered outside the ground as the 71-cap star arrived to put the final touches on his Gers move after jetting in for a medical.
And Ramsey admits it was the chance to strut his stuff in front of a packed Ibrox which convinced him to turn down offers from a string of big-spending English outfits.
He said: “I had a number of offers on the table, but none matched the magnitude of this club, with European football and the chance to play in front of 50,000 fans every other week.
“I’m really excited to be here, to be a part of this great club, and I’m itching to get going.
“I’ve heard so much about this club. To actually be here and experience it for the first time, I’m really excited to be a part of that.
“Rangers is a massive club, huge around the world. It’s a possession-based team that plays the way I like to play as well.
“There are many benefits to being here, in European football and to experience a couple of the Old Firm games as well.
“I’m just excited to be here and be a part of that really.
“I just want to get back to playing and showing what I can do again. It’s a great opportunity here for me to do that.
“The last couple of years have been a bit difficult at times but for me now it’s about looking forward, pulling on that blue jersey and hopefully showing what I can do.
“I’m very hungry to win more things and hopefully I can help my team-mates do that and we can have a successful season.”
The stunning news Gers had landed the former Cardiff and Arsenal ace came on a busy end to the transfer window.
The champions also tied up a £400,000 move for Polish right-back Mateusz Zukowski from Lechia Gdansk and ripped up flop winger Brandon Barker’s contract.
However, a late move to bring forward pre-contract star John Souttar’s Glasgow switch failed when the Jambos booted out an improved £400,000 offer.
But it’s their daring raid for Ramsey that has captured the imagination at Ibrox on the eve of tomorrow night’s crucial derby battle with Ange Postecoglou’s rampant Hoops.
However, the Welshman - who has played just one World Cup qualifier since his last Juve run-out on October 20 - cast doubt on his involvement at Parkhead when he said: “I’m probably going to be a little bit short for the Old Firm game but hopefully I can get myself ready this week and look forward to getting ready for the weekend.”
Ramsey, who still has 18 months left on his Juve contract, was pocketing a whopping £120,000 a week in Italy but Turin chiefs have offered to continue picking up the majority of the tab to ensure the playmaker could complete a move he hopes will boost his chances of featuring for Wales in March’s World Cup play-offs.
But even with his parent club heavily subsidising those astronomical wages, the deal has still raised eyebrows across Europe after he spurned the advances of Premier League outfits Newcastle, Wolves and Burnley to move to Scotland.
Welcoming his stellar new recruit, van Bronckhorst said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we have been able to add a player of Aaron’s quality, experience and leadership to our squad.”
