McCormack - I couldn't go back

McCormack: Released by Rangers

Ross McCormack is delighted to have agreed a deal to join Wigan in the summer and admits that he would have snubbed a move to his former club Rangers had the SPL league leaders made an offer for him.

The Scottish U21 international came up through the youth system at Ibrox, but after struggling to force his way into first-team reckoning was allowed to leave for Motherwell in the summer of 2006.

A number of impressive displays over the past two seasons had seen a number of Rangers supporters calling for his return, but after admitting that the pain of the previous rejection could never allow him to go back, he is now looking forward to starting a new life in England.

Proud

"I don't dwell on being allowed to go elsewhere but when I heard fans saying on phone-ins Rangers should go back in for me in the transfer window I knew in my heart of hearts the answer would have been 'no' if anyone had called me," McCormack told the Daily Record.

"It made me feel proud to hear the Rangers supporters say those things but the idea would never have crossed my mind.

"Getting the chance to sign for an English Premier League club like Wigan fully justifies the decision to stop banging my head against a brick wall at Rangers and go elsewhere to further my career."

Wanted

The striker has previous experience of English football having been sent on loan to Doncaster by Rangers during the 2005/06 season and he feels that he equipped himself well during his time with the League One club.

"I got knocked about a fair bit by defenders who would look at me when I was lying on the ground and say, 'You're not at Rangers now kid'," he said.

"But I scored five goals in those 12 starts and that started the process of getting the opportunity to show what I could do.

"That was denied me at Ibrox but the most important thing was that I felt wanted at Doncaster."

Stepping stone

McCormack is also hoping that his time at Wigan will help him to secure a move to a bigger club in the future, following in the footsteps of fellow Scot Alan Hutton who made a high-profile move to Tottenham during the recent transfer window.

"Alan Hutton's £9million move from Rangers to Spurs is the classic example of somebody who went from the supporters at Ibrox booing him to being begged to stay at the club by the same fans," he said.

"But he decided to move on as well. Now Steve Bruce has told me he doesn't mind if I use Wigan as a stepping stone to an even bigger club down south."