Danny Wilson had his heart set on MLS move says Murty

Rangers manager Graeme Murty admitted he could not stand in the way of Danny Wilson's American dream, despite wanting to hold on to the defender.

The former Hearts and Liverpool centre-back joined Colorado Rapids on a three-year contract on Monday after Murty agreed to release him from his Ibrox deal, which expired in the summer.

The 26-year-old had played in 11 of Murty's first 12 matches in charge, but had his heart set on a move to Major League Soccer during his spell on the sidelines under Pedro Caixinha.

Danny found it very difficult in the circumstances previous to my own appointment,' Murty said.He felt he wasn't going to be in the long-term plans and he decided to look elsewhere.

`I came in and he came into the squad and he was fantastic for us. He scored vital goals, stood up to big challenges and won big games for us. He decided he had an option that he worked really hard to get for himself and his family in a different place.

`We had a bit of a heart-to-heart and talked about his options. He knows what I think of him as a person and a player, but he's decided him and his family would benefit from a new challenge.

`I couldn't, hand on heart, stand in his way. I want the players to be happy and striving to make this place. Danny felt his heart was away from the place and I thought it was better for all concerned that he had the opportunity to go and explore that.'

With Bruno Alves and Ross McCrorie injured, David Bates and Russell Martin are set to continue their new partnership at the back when Rangers face Highland League side Fraserburgh in the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup on Wednesday night.

Murty felt his squad had the perfect warning when they watched Tottenham struggle to scrape a replay against Newport in the English version on Saturday.

The Gers boss said: `We watched a group of players from a lower league really push their Premier League opponents very, very, very hard. They were really unfortunate not to win the game.

`I said to the players, 'This could be us unless we apply ourselves properly'. I'm not saying Tottenham didn't, but we need to be ready for it, we need to be ready for a difficult pitch, a close encounter with guys who are desperate to be the story in Scottish football this year.'

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