MIKEY MOORE admits he endured a torrid start to life at Rangers.
But the 18-year-old has insisted he never once thought of quitting for the sanctuary of Spurs.
The on-loan Tottenham kid grabbed his first goal for Gers in the 3-0 win over Dundee on Sunday.
It was his reward for weeks of hard work amid tangible signs of progress under new boss Danny Rohl.
Like every summer signing, Moore struggled for form and confidence under Russell Martin.
There were even reports linking him with a quick-fire return to his parent club.
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But last night the youngster set the record straight.
Moore said: “I think a lot of stuff goes in the media, but I was never ready to go back.
“I always knew that at some point it would change and I’ve changed it for myself a little bit in the last few weeks.
“But I need to keep building and playing even better than I am, so I’m picking up goals and assists.
“I said in midweek that I need to, so I’m happy with the goal on Sunday.
“I’m feeling a lot more confident, I’m getting used to the league, used to my teammates and the manager has helped me a lot as well.
“He’s come in and he’s given me confidence and belief in myself which has been good from him, so I’m excited to keep going.
“I definitely feel as though we’re building momentum.
“I think even in our performances, we’re playing better and we’re picking up points in the league, so we just need to keep building on that and taking it game by game because if we look too far ahead, then we might disrupt our performances.”
Moore arrived in Glasgow with a big reputation.
Still only 18, he’d been tipped for great things with both club and country.
But it’s taken four months to adjust to the demands of life at Ibrox with the midfielder just beginning to live up to the hype.
And after his first goal for Rangers, Moore reckons there’s much more still to come.
Asked if he was ready to kick on after the international break, Moore smiled: “Yeah, I think so.
“Stuff like that is all outside noise in a way, I think there’s a lot of pressure from a young boy coming from the Premier League and coming here.
“But as long as I’m improving myself and I’m helping Rangers go win games and picking up goals and helping the team, that’s all that matters for now.
“The club’s massive, the fan base is unbelievable to be honest, they’re special, so it’s been a crazy experience and now I just want to keep improving and playing as well as possible for the fans and for the club.
“I was buzzing to finally get on the score sheet and a bit relieved in a way because it’s been a while since I last scored so I was over the moon.
“I’ve had a few chances, that I could have scored and I just need to keep getting in around the box.
“I was happy that we won and I finally scored.
“I think you could see that in my celebration.”
There’s no doubt the arrival of Rohl coincided with Moore’s sudden arrival in a Rangers jersey.
The youngster is playing with the kind of freedom which made him such a stand-out at Spurs and Moore is determined to savour the rest of the season now he’s finally found his feet.
He stressed: “I think I’ve had a lot more chances in front of goal and I’ve had a bit of freedom to move across the pitch, so I’ve been happy playing under him and I’m excited to keep that going.
“I think it helps me being in that role, I think I always want to be involved in the game as much as possible and I like to get in those pockets.
“I can play wide but I think I’ve had a bit of a mix of both, so I’m enjoying the role I’ve been given.
“I didn’t chap his door or anything, I won’t go in there and say that to him, as long as I’m playing I’m happy.
“I think I can affect it in both ways, either wide or centrally, but I think maybe I need to improve a bit more when I’m wide and affect the game more, but when I’m centrally I’m doing well.
“It’s never been me going in and calling the shots.”
The victory over Dundee was Gers’ third in a row in the league.
Rohl’s men have cut the gap on leaders Hearts to 12 points, with Moore confident the Light Blues can still salvage something from the season.
He said: “We can still have success this season.
“I think we’ve still to play the teams at the top multiple times, so as long as we keep picking up points, that’s what we need to pick up and we need to perform as well as we can and I think that’s happening now.
“I think it was a difficult start for me and I don’t think I showed anywhere near what I know I can do.
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“I think mentally it’s been unbelievable for me because it’s a massive club and I think it’s strengthened me up a lot because it’s the first bit of probably the toughest time I’ve been through.
“So now I’m happy to be coming out of it, but now I need to keep on going and performing.”
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