Derek McInnes says he “belongs” at Rangers after being unveiled as the club’s new manager and laid out his intention to win the Scottish Premiership as quickly as possible.
The 54-year-old admitted to be being surprised the opportunity to take over at Rangers presented itself this summer after being appointed to replace Danny Röhl, who departed to join RB Salzburg last week.
McInnes was within minutes of guiding Hearts to a Premiership title last season but makes the move back to Ibrox where he served as a player from 1995-2000 and he has insisted the time feels right for him to take the reins at the club he supported as a boy.
“It’s a very special moment for myself, my family, there’s a lot of people I can think of on a day like this, but having known the club for a long time, supported the club, I’m well aware of the responsibility that being manager brings,” McInnes said.
“So, I am excited to get going, I feel as though it’s the right time for me and I feel I’m ready for it. I feel as if I belong here and I’m ready to get going with it and looking forward to just getting started.
McInnes is unveiled as the new manager of Rangers alongside CEO Jim Gillespie
“We want to try and deliver a team that meets the demand here. I feel as though the Rangers fans – we’ve won one title in 15 years – they’ve suffered for a long time and it’s up to us to try now and play a key role in driving the standards and get a winning Rangers team on the pitch more often than not.
“I’ve got an idea of what my Rangers team needs to look like and hopefully it’s something similar to what the Rangers fans want as well.
“Becoming Rangers manager is something that I always wanted to do. The call was a surprise when it came about because obviously the manager was in place here. I was on my holiday and things kind of kicked off and it was a busy five or six days in between.
“Becoming Rangers manager is something I’ve always wanted and I feel so comfortable with the decision that was made, and being here feels right.”
More to follow…
