Scott Booth warns Graeme Shinnie not to make Rangers move

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Glasgow Rangers reportedly want to bring Graeme Shinnie to Ibrox in the summer.

Scott Booth has warned Graeme Shinnie to expect to become a hate figure at Aberdeen should he decide to move to Ibrox and join Rangers on a free transfer this summer, in comments reported by the Evening Times.

The Evening Times reports that Steven Gerrard is keen for the Gers to sign Shinnie at the end of the season when his contract at Pittodrie expires.

Given the rivalry, it would obviously be a move that would see the midfielder become an incredibly unpopular figure amongst those who currently chant his name on a weekly basis.

And former Dons striker and current Glasgow City boss Booth insisted that it will not be easy for Shinnie if he decides to join Rangers on a free transfer once his contract is up.

“It is a difficult decision for Graeme,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times. “I actually had an opportunity at one point to go to Rangers and for one reason and another it never came off. But 100 per cent in the back of my head was the thought that if I took the opportunity that I wouldn’t get back into Aberdeen again.

“The Aberdeen-Rangers rivalry was intense back then and, of course it still is. It takes a lot of character for a player to move from Aberdeen to Rangers or Celtic, and that’s because they know their life won’t be that easy, it won’t be so smooth, especially if they come from the Aberdeen area.

“But then that’s what rivalry is. If a player does make that move and is successful, then I take my hat off to him because they have definitely got thick skin.”

Of course, Shinnie can perhaps take inspiration from former teammate Ryan Jack, who made the same move that the 27-year-old may now be considering.

Jack is roundly booed when he returns to Aberdeen, but he has been a mainstay of the Gers side since Gerrard arrived in the summer and wrote his name in Ibrox folklore by scoring the winning goal in December’s Old Firm game.

And while he may not be a popular figure if he does follow Jack’s path and head to Rangers, he will surely not care too much if he is able to help the Gers end that wait for that first major trophy in the future.