Rangers star James Tavernier admits he’s ‘on board’ with Steven Gerrard as he welcomes Jon Flanagan challenge
The Light Blues ace revealed the Gers boss sent him a text before he was officially in charge of the Ibrox club
JAMES TAVERNIER has opened up on his Rangers future.
The Light Blues full-back has been linked with a number of clubs down south including Everton, Burnley, Swansea City and Crystal Palace.
But Tav has pledged his future to the Ibrox club after revealing Steven Gerrard contacted him before he officially took over as Gers boss.
Speaking to Rangers TV, he said: "He spoke to me in the off-season; I had a conversation with him which was another surreal moment.
"I got a number texting me when I had woken up really early one morning and I was thinking “Who’s this?” and the message said “Steven Gerrard” at the bottom of it.
"I have still got the message saved, I wouldn’t delete it. I messaged him back, obviously, and the first conversation we had I didn’t know how it would go.
How to claim your FREE £10 bet
"I was getting my car washed at the same time and I thought it might be a bad moment but I heard him clearly.
"He explained what he wanted, his vision for this club and where he wants to take it so I am all on board.
"I have always said I have unfinished business here and I signed a new contract six months ago.
"I knew the club were searching for a new manager and you heard the rumours but when it was confirmed that the gaffer got the job it was great news to hear, you got excited.”
Tavernier has also welcoming the challenge to secure a starting spot for next season.
Gerrard signed his former team-mate and Liverpool right-back Jon Flanagan this week.
But Tav is looking forward to the task and admits it can only be good for the club as a whole.
He said: "Bring it on.
"You want that competition, you never want to get complacent in your football and you always want to get pushed.
"Even in the running you want to be with people who are pushing you, we all want to push each other to be the best and that is the standard that we have got now.
"Everyone is pushing each other in the training and the standards are getting higher. The more competition we have in the squad the more it pushes each player to be better at what they do.
"It is great to have him in, he has played a lot of games so it is great to have him here and I welcome that competition.
"I am always confident and I will always back my ability, I have just got to keep improving, work just as hard as I did last year but still improve.
"I will still be confident no matter what is asked of me by the gaffer.
"It has been very tough out in Spain, but I’m enjoying it and I’m enjoying being back. The gaffer has already installed into us that he wants a very fit, energetic team with good intensity.
"The running we are doing on the training field now is working; I am already feeling fitter already.
"I feel it has benefitted me already and I have only been over here five days. The heat is challenging but it makes a difference.”
Gers are currently in Spain as Gerrard and his coaching staff put the players through their paces ahead of the new campaign.
And 26-year-old Tav has admitted he still can't believe who his new gaffer is as they train in the searing temperatures.
Gers assistant Gary McAllister also means a lot to the defender as he was brought up as a Leeds fan in Yorkshire.
He added: "Most of the time it still feels strange he is my manager. When he strikes a ball with so much ease, stuff like that is a little bit surreal!
"I know he is the gaffer now and you do get those little moments when you find yourself going “That’s Steven Gerrard over there.
"Having Gary McAllister here as well is a big thing to me because of Leeds United. He is basically a Yorkshireman now so it is great to have him and his character around.
"Michael Beale too is great; his knowledge of the game is superb. We also have a bunch of scousers in now and it is fun, it is a good set-up.
"They have raised the standard higher which has always needed to be done because it has dropped over the years.
related stories
"Straight away I have noticed the standard and where he wants it and the boys have responded really well."
Tavernier has been at Ibrox since 2015 and he's never felt intensity like it during his time in Glasgow.
He admitted that the new training regimes are a step up from anything he's experienced.
IBROX ICON Steven Gerrard hopes to persuade Walter Smith to take an advisory role at Rangers
He said: "The whole new staff who the gaffer has brought in are fantastic, there is a great combination that they have got going on.
"We are all enjoying the training and we all believe in what he wants us to do."