Nathan Patterson hopes to take any opportunities that come his way at Rangers

Nathan Patterson is determined to keep seizing any opportunities that come his way following his “surreal” Rangers debut.

The 18-year-old started in Friday’s 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup win over Stranraer and put himself in the frame for more appearances, with fellow right-back James Tavernier facing a couple of weeks out through illness.

Patterson said: “It was surreal – a great feeling walking out in front of 40,000 fans for the club I love. I had butterflies all day but walking out the tunnel they just went and I was buzzing to get going.

“I am just taking each day as it comes along, just doing my best and hopefully I can take any opportunity that comes my way

“I have shown I can play in front of 40,000 fans. That’s what I want to be doing.”

The defender featured in a friendly win over Lokomotiv Tashkent the previous weekend after being called up to train with the first-team on their winter break camp in Dubai.

“There is more intensity and higher standards – you need to always be on your game and that’s what I think I have done well,” said Patterson, who was presented with a cheque for £450,000 for the Rangers academy from the Rangers Youth Development Company.

Patterson also found it beneficial to train alongside captain Tavernier.

“He’s a great player,” the teenager said. “Every game I watch and try to pick up on things, see what he does and things I can improve on.

“It’s good to train with him; he always gives you good advice and always encourages you when you do something well. If you maybe make a mistake he tells you how you can improve on that.”

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.