Former Rangers keeper Brian Kinnear has completed his move to Premier League side West Ham on a one-year deal after being released by the Light Blues at the end of last season.
Kinnear was one of a number of Academy players let go by Rangers earlier in the summer and joined the Hammers on trial after a stint with Birmingham City.
After impressing enough during his trial stint, the Scotland under-21 keeper has put pen-to-paper on a deal with West Ham, tying him to David Moyes’ side for an initial year.
While at Rangers, Kinnear spent time on loan with Camelon and Annan Athletic and thinks the time spent in the lower leagues helped toughen him up.
“I first went out on loan when I was 18, it wasn’t the best level but it was to roughen you up and then my last loan was to League Two in Scotland, so you’re actually in the divisions at the point,” he told West Ham’s’ website.
“The standard was better but then again it’s still you come for crosses and the elbows are there, it’s still toughening you up. It’s been good to get that experience and learn from it.”
After his Rangers release over the summer, Kinnear’s move to the Premier League comes as a bit of a surprise but the shot-stopper is looking to make the most with the Hammers and, in the short-term, play regularly for West Ham’s under-23s, adding: “I’m really looking forward to it. The goalies you’ve got here are world-class and I’m hoping I get the opportunity to go around and train with them and see how they do it.
“For me, my short-term goals are to get consistent game time moving forward and taking it step-by-step. I don’t want to look too far into the future, I have more short-term goals and hopefully I can push on and see what happens.”
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