Rangers full-back Dujon Sterling says his priority is defending
The 23-year old joined on a free transfer from Chelsea this summer
Dujon Sterling insists his priority is defending over racking up goals and assists as he teams up again with Michael Beale.
The 23-year old, 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.
Sterling officially joined the Light Blues from Chelsea on a four-year deal on July 1.
The defender says he knows a lot of modern full-backs put a big emphasis on what they can do in the final third - but explains he'd rather get the foundations right first.
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."
Sterling also insists he is bringing a "winning mentality" to Rangers.
He began his career at the Stamford Bridge club - where he was first coached by the Rangers boss - and had loans 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-eight.
"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 putting them both together to create something here to get the next trophy."
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Rangers Legends
Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist is the clubs' record goal scorer, landing 355 goals in his 581 appearances. He played for the club from 1983-1998. McCoist also won two back-to-back European Golden Shoe's, in 1991/92 and 1992/93. While playing for Rangers, McCoist won 20 trophies.
The club legend managed the side from 2011-2015, where he won a League One title and a Third division title.
John Greig
Often called 'the greatest Ranger', Greig holds the record for the most appearances made for the side. He made 755 appearances between 1961-1978, where he also scored 120 goals and won 16 trophies.
Sandy Jardine
Right back Sandy Jardine made 674 appearances for Rangers and scored 77 goals. Jardine won two domestic trebles in 1975/76 and 1977/78. Jardine won 14 trophies at Rangers, including their only European trophy.
Davie Cooper
Davie Cooper made 540 appearances for Rangers where he scored 75 goals. He won 13 trophies while at the club.
Bill Struth
Bill Struth was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, and lead the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954. Struth won a record 18 Scottish league championships, 10 Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
Walter Smith
Smith managed Rangers from 1991-1998, where he won 13 major trophies in seven years, including seven league titles in succession. He returned to Rangers in January 2007, where we went on to win eight trophies during his second spell as Rangers manager and guided the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final. This would be Walter Smith's final managerial job as he retired in 2011.
Brain Laudrup
Brian Laudrup won three consecutive league titles for rangers between 1994 and 1998. He scored 44 goals in his 150 appearances.
Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne played for Rangers from 1995-1998, where he won two consecutive titles and two doubles. Gazza scored 39 goals in his 103 appearances.
Richard Gough
Richard Gough played for Rangers from 1987-1998 where he won 18 trophies, including nine consecutive Scottish Premier Division titles. The right back made 244 appearances and scored 37 goals.
Moses McNeil
Alongside William McBeath, Peter Campbell and his brother, Peter McNeil, Moses McNeil is one of the founding members of Rangers Football Club. In May 1872, Rangers played their first ever match against Callander F.C. at Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh, which resulted in a 0–0 draw.