Patrick McClean admits he had a quiet chuckle at some of the rumours circulating during the summer suggesting he was on his way out at the Oval.
Sent off after conceding a penalty in last season's Euro play-off defeat to Larne, McClean came in for some public criticism from manager Mick McDermott in the aftermath of the disappointing collapse.
The fallout prompted many Irish League fans to predict a hasty exit for McClean, but the following month the 25-year-old signed a new long-term deal with the Glens to quash any wild speculation surrounding his future.
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And after some summer talks with McDermott, the former Derry City defender insists his focus is razor sharp as he plots trophy success with the Glens.
"I heard all the rumours and what people were saying. There will obviously be rumours after a bad end to the season, but some of the things that were being said were quite funny and made me laugh," McClean told Belfast Live.
"I sat down with the gaffer and we spoke about what we wanted to do this season and I am happy to be here. And obviously I signed a new deal so that put everything to bed pretty quickly."
He added: "I think a lot of things went wrong last season. The whole Irish Cup thing, and we were top of the league at one stage but then we fell off and didn't recover.
"And for me, personally, giving away a penalty in the European play-off and putting the lads under pressure, and then the way the game ended up, was disappointing.
"I went away and had to work on a lot of things and came back this season hungrier than ever because I know I am better than that."
Glentoran have started the new season in impressive fashion, racing to the top of the Premiership table after six games.
McDermott's men have also conceded just one goal in their league campaign to date.
"I think last season we conceded too many cheap goals. While the season before we kept the most clean sheets in the league," McClean said.
"It was something we prided ourselves on, and last season wasn't good enough. So we said we needed to get back to basics and stop conceding goals and make ourselves hard to play against, and our results have proved that.
"We always feel like we will score in games, and if we limit teams to very few chances and no goals then we have a better chance of winning games. We just have to stay focused in every game and stay switched on."
McClean also hopes fans start seeing a true reflection of Glentoran's squad this season after a couple of busy transfer windows which have seen significant arrivals and departures from the Oval.
He added: "We have brought in a lot of players, and good players, and sometimes it doesn't work out.
"I think the players who have come in this season have been massive for us, and all the lads who were already here are quality.
"There is a great buzz around the changing room and are looking forward to every game."
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