Borna Barisic thanks Rangers fans, reacts to Ibrox exit rumours

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Rangers defender Borna Barisic is turning his Ibrox career around.

Rangers defender Borna Barisic has told the Daily Record that he wants to thank fans for all their supportive messages – and is adamant that his focus was always on Rangers.

The Gers swooped to land Barisic in the summer of 2018, paying £2.2million to sign him from Osijek after he impressed against Rangers in the Europa League clashes between the two sides (BBC).

Barisic was seen as a major signing at left back, but he endured a tricky first season at Ibrox, struggling for form and fitness as he struggled with the step-up from Osijek to Rangers.

The 26-year-old has though kept his place in the Croatia side throughout, showing that he still has major quality, and Rangers are finally seeing that come through.

Barisic has been in much better form so far this season, and he now looks set to nail down that left back spot for himself amid competition from Jon Flanagan and Andy Halliday.

Now, Barisic has looked back on the last few months, noting that he wants to say thank you to all the Rangers fans who sent him supportive messages over the summer after a difficult first year in Glasgow.

Barisic was linked with a move to Dijon by Soccer Link, but claims he ignored all talk of an Ibrox exit as such rumours are ‘destructive’, and now knows there are no excuses at Rangers, and he needs to play his best football under Steven Gerrard now.

“A lot of fans sent me messages and supported me all the time and I want to thank them for that,” said Barisic. “I knew what I need to do to be in the best position so this pre-season I didn’t rest at all. I just made sure that when I came back I was very fit and sharp and, from there, my confidence grew. I was always determined to be here at Rangers. There are always stories but I don’t pay attention because it is destructive to me. I lose focus when all I want is to be focused on Rangers. I’m very happy here.”

“The manager understood my problems but this is professional football – there are no excuses. It is not: ‘Oh you come from Croatia, perhaps you are maybe not ready’. I spoke a lot with the gaffer, I always try to catch everything he says because it can help me a lot. I know why I didn’t play last year but that experience has made me stronger and this year is much different,” he added.