13 is unlucky for some but not Todd Cantwell, who plans on making his new Rangers squad number one fans associated with him.
The former Norwich City midfielder has become the first signing of Michael Beale's Rangers reign, joining on a long-term contract from the Carrow Road club. Cantwell is keen to compete for trophies and play in Europe for the first time as he seeks to kickstart a career that's fallen by the wayside recently.
After breaking into the Norwich first team as a talented team in the same generation as James Maddison, Cantwell hasn't followed the same trajectory as his old mate. While Maddison has gone on to make a big money move to Leicester City, played for England and has been heavily linked with a switch to mega rich Newcastle, Cantwell has found himself out of favour in East Anglia after loans to Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands and Bournemouth.
He admits things haven't gone the way he would've wanted. But now wants to make 'Cantwell 13' an iconic name and number combo amongst Rangers fans.
“It goes without saying that over the last few seasons I would say things haven’t gone to plan," he said. “I don’t believe that 13 is an unlucky number as you make your own luck. I am looking to make it my own and to have people remember it.
“Can I kick on here? Definitely. My career hasn’t gone the way I would have planned in the last few years. The guys have seen the person I am, the player I am and that means a lot to me.
“To be able to get this chance at such a big club and to be able to have a platform to kick on and show the player I want to turn into. The manager wants to make me a better player and that’s really important.
“The manager was massive in terms of why I came here. It is really important to have a manager that believes in you and you believe in them.
“Not a lot of players say it but you need to be on board with everything if you want to get the best version of yourself. I feel the manager can get that out of me and I am looking forward to working with him.”
The expectation level at Rangers just isn't comparable to Norwich. However, Cantwell does have experience of winning title races with the Canaries.
But he insists a will to win was instilled long before he was picking up winners medals in yellow and green. And his nature came to the fore during childhood table tennis games against his brother.
“I love pressure and since I was a kid I always want to win no matter what I play," he told Rangers TV. “I can play ping pong with my brother but I am so competitive to win it.
“Having that mentality is embedded in me and I look forward to showing that on the pitch.”
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