Kyle McClelland reckons it is easy for young players to get lost at Rangers due to the size of the club as he gets set to try and make his mark at Hibs.
The former Light Blues youngster has put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the capital club after becoming one of Lee Johnson's summer recruits. The youngster has described his decision to depart Ibrox for a fresh challenge at Easter Road as a 'no-brainer' as he look to learn from Ryan Porteous at his new employers.
McClelland has hailed Hibs as 'one of the biggest' clubs in Scotland and says he has been made to feel very welcome since his arrival. He has been part of the warm-weather training camp in Portugal and has heaped praise on new team-mate Porteous for his leadership qualities on the park. But he has also namechecked two former Rangers pals who have been key influences on his career to date.
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
READ MORE: What Martin Boyle said about Hibs transfer return as Saudi Arabia future in doubt
He told the Daily Record: “Rangers is a massive club but as a young player you can get lost in that. It can be hard. But that’s in the past now and I’m here to focus on the next three years. It’s a fresh start.
“It was easy to make the decision but at the same time it was difficult. I’d been there since I was seven. It’s frustrating as a young boy. You do everything you can in training but it’s hard to try and play with Rangers.
“Trying to get through into the first team was quite a struggle. I spoke to Rangers and knew the plan – it was maybe a year extension and to go on loan and see how I got on. But I thought I’d make the call, step my game up again and try to get first team football so I did that
“It was a no brainer, so I decided to come here and I’m delighted. This is one of the best clubs in Scotland and a great learning curve to learn off Ryan Porteous and try to do what he did.
“In the first week he made me feel welcome. I trained beside him in the first session and he spoke to me right the way through. He’s a great speaker on the park and that’s what you want beside you. I can learn a lot from him in the space of a short time.”
One player who left Rangers for more game-time is Ross McCrorie.
He departed for Aberdeen and has now become a Premiership regular with his game hitting a new level. That's the sort of impact McClelland hopes to make after swapping Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men for Hibs.
He continued: “Ross has played loads of game for Aberdeen and hopefully that’s something I can try and work myself towards and get a decent career out of it. Ross is actually from the same area as me. I spoke to him quite a lot and he helped me right the way through.
“Connor Goldson’s probably the main one for me though. I trained with him a lot. I learned a lot – he’s commanding, his leadership, his professionalism.”
READ NEXT:
- Darren McGregor opens up on his new Hibs Development squad player/coach role
- Hibs star Lewis Stevenson targets Europe, cup finals and wins over Hearts, Rangers and Celtic
- Hibs boss Lee Johnson urges patience with Jair Tavares as he reveals interest goes back YEARS
- Hibs confirm latest summer transfer as 'very versatile' Elie Youan makes Easter Road move
