Rangers allowed Danny Wilson to leave Ibrox last month.
Former Rangers defender Danny Wilson has told The Scottish Sun that he felt that he was somewhat forced out of Ibrox last month before heading to Colorado Rapids.
Wilson, 26, came up through the ranks with Rangers, making 24 first-team appearances for the Gers before being snapped up by Liverpool in 2010, where he played just nine times before heading back to Scotland with Hearts.
In 2015, Rangers and then-manager Mark Warburton swooped to land Wilson on a free transfer from Hearts, handing him a return to Ibrox – and he helped guide the club back to the top flight in 2016.
Wilson was a regular under Warburton and even Pedro Caixinha, racking up more than 70 appearances for Rangers since his return to Ibrox, but his time at Ibrox seemingly turned somewhat sour last month.
Wilson left Rangers for a second time last month, penning a three-year deal with Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids in the United States, making a lucrative move to join Anthony Hudson’s side.
The defender has now opened up on his departure, revealing to The Scottish Sun that he felt that he was almost pushed out of Ibrox in January, as he was promised a new contract and then saw such an offer revoked.
Wilson claims he wanted to stay at Ibrox, and was even willing to remain on the same wages in order to stay, but director of football Mark Allen told him that there would be no new deal on the table.
Wilson added that he feels ‘fortunate’ to have had an offer from Colorado Rapids and he can’t wait to get started, but he felt he had to tell his side of the story after a frustrating ordeal.
“I made it clear I wanted to stay with Rangers. Absolutely, I wanted to stay. But I was left with no choice but to consider other options,” said Wilson. “Plenty of people have had their say about my decision to leave Rangers, especially on social media. So much of it is inaccurate rubbish. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to set the record straight. I asked two managers and a director of football about a new contract.”
“The truth of it is that for four or five months I asked Rangers what the situation was, beginning with Pedro Caixinha before he left. I was told just to concentrate on my performances — and I thought my performance level over that period of time was good. Then as it got into January, after we returned from Florida, I went in to speak to them again. I was told the contract would be there in the next day or so. That was it. I left the room thinking that would be me, I would be staying at Rangers. That was on the Tuesday, but by the Wednesday evening I was told there would be no contract for me to sign. It was Mark Allen, the director of football, who told me.”
“He’d encouraged me to think there would be a contract for me to stay, but there weren’t even terms discussed. It was never about money. I actually told Rangers during our brief discussions that I would have been happy to stay on the money I was on. I was extremely fortunate to have such an attractive offer from Colorado Rapids. It’s a great opportunity for me and my family with a massively ambitious club — I can’t wait to start,” he added.
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