Dujon Sterling has joined Rangers on a four-year deal; he was coached by Michael Beale at Chelsea; the defender is relishing the competition from captain James Tavernier
Wednesday 12 July 2023 13:23, UK
Dujon Sterling insists he is bringing a "winning mentality" to Rangers as he teams up again with Michael Beale.
The 23-year-old defender officially joined the Ibrox club from Chelsea on a four-year deal on July 1.
Sterling began his career at the Stamford Bridge - where he was first coached by the Rangers boss - and had loan spells with Coventry, Wigan, Blackpool and Stoke.
The former England Under-20 player had "quite a few clubs" interested in signing him this summer but he opted to join Beale who is revamping the Gers squad.
Speaking before Rangers' trip to Germany for a pre-season training camp, which he missed with a knock reportedly not deemed serious, Sterling said: "The first time I ever met him (Beale) I was about seven or eight. At Chelsea you start in development at six and you do that for two years then you join the academy at Under-8.
"He was head of south London - I am from north London - and he was dealing with the Under-14s and I was Under-13 and I used to play one (year) up with his boys' age group.
"That's when I first got coached by him.
"At Chelsea, everything was about winning. You couldn't take second place. We always had to win and I feel it here as well. You need to win.
"None of my loans have been with winning teams. You have had to dig deep.
"So I have got that mentality, I have the winning mentality and it is now about putting them both together to create something here to get the next trophy."
Sterling, primarily a right-back but who can play on the left, will in the first instance battle with Rangers captain James Tavernier for a starting place but is not fazed by the prospect.
He said: "It is about competing together but I am not just tied down to one role.
"I can play many roles so I don't fear Tav being the captain, it is about competition.
"You need competition all over the pitch, that's how everyone will get better. No one slips up, that's how you stay a winning team and you need that the whole season, plus there is more than one game per week.
"I like to prioritise on my defending. It is really important.
"A lot of defenders now, right-backs, left-backs, they get judged on their stats up the pitch but defensively they are not great.
"So I like to do my defending, win my one-to-one battles and when the chance arrives to go forward, do that and help the team but knowing that my team-mates and manager has trust in me to be able to defend."
Rangers will start the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season with a trip to face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, in a game live on Sky Sports.
Beale's side will then play the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round on either August 8 or 9, before returning to league action with the visit of Livingston to Ibrox on August 12. The second leg of their European tie will be played on August 15.
Should Rangers progress to the play-off round, the first leg will take place on either August 22 or 23, with the second leg on August 29 or 30.
The first two Old Firm games of the campaign will take place in front of the Sky Sports cameras, with the first on September 3 and the second on December 30. The third meeting before the split is scheduled for April 6.
The winter break will return on January 3, the day after Rangers host Kilmarnock, and will end on January 19.
Following the round of matches on April 13, the division splits in half, with the top six teams playing one another once and the bottom six teams doing the same. The final day of the season will take place on the weekend of May 18/19.
The transfer window opened on June 14, but who will be on the move this summer ahead of the deadline at 11pm on September 1 in England and at midnight in Scotland?
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