Wilson back at Rangers

Danny Wilson has become the first signing of Rangers manager Mark Warburton - five years after leaving Ibrox for Liverpool.

The central defender has signed a three-year deal for the Scottish Championship club after deciding to leave Hearts following their promotion.

Former Derby midfielder John Eustace could follow suit after arriving in Glasgow for signing talks while a deal for Rob Kiernan is also expected to be confirmed after the Wigan defender visited Murray Park on Monday.

Wilson spent two-and-a-half years at Hearts after returning north from Liverpool, where he failed to make a first-team breakthrough after joining from Rangers in a £2million deal in 2010.

The Scotland international made 24 appearances for Rangers after breaking into the team as a 17-year-old and he aims to show the supporters that he returns to Ibrox a better player.

The 23-year-old told Rangers TV: "I think if I look at myself now compared to as an 18-year-old I'm a much better professional and I have a lot more experience of just life in general.

"I'm really grateful for the opportunity to come back and show people how I've grown as a player and as a person. I'm looking forward to just getting under way and showing people what I've learned.''

Wilson's Hearts side finished 24 points above Rangers in the Championship last season but he insists his new club's failure to go up through the play-offs did not make his decision any more difficult.

"Not really,'' he said. "Obviously in an ideal world, Rangers would be in the top flight, but as it is we are not just now. We need to put in the work to get us there.

"It's not something I am overly fussed about. Last season we managed to go up and hopefully it's more of the same this year.''

Wilson also denied that Davie Weir, Warburton's assistant, was key to his return given he played alongside him in the heart of the Rangers defence when he first broke through.

"Obviously he was a massive influence on me when I was so young,'' said Wilson, who last played for Scotland almost four years ago.

"I'm glad he is here but it wasn't a big factor. Rangers have still got a massive pull and I am more than happy to be back.

"I'm glad to have a friendly face here but I'm sure he has a different role now.''

And he explained why he felt it was best to invoke a clause in his contract to leave Hearts with a year of his deal remaining.

"To be given the opportunity to captain a club like that so early in my career was a really nice thing for me and something I was, and still am, very proud of,'' he said.

"I left Hearts on fairly good terms and I wish them all the best but I felt it was time for a move and to sample something new.

"I think a lot of people will laugh when I say something new but this is a different experience for me to the last time I was here and something I'm looking forward to.''

Eustace is available following his exit from Watford, where both he and Kiernan worked with Warburton.