Former Rangers striker Jermaine Defoe has praised the impact of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Mickey Moore after he scored in the Old Firm victory at Ibrox.
Moore has made 24 appearances throughout the season since moving from Spurs and arguably his finest moment in the Light Blues was scoring the third goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Celtic Park.
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Defoe played a key role in the 18-year-old midfielder’s move north after receiving a call from the midfielder in the summer seeking guidance.
“It’s quite a story,” said Defoe, who worked with Moore during his time in the Spurs academy.
“When I finished playing, I spent two years in the Under-18s academy. I think he was about 16. When I saw him in training I thought, ‘This kid has something special’. I just worked with him as much as I could.
“He was always the one who stood out in my mind. When we played in the under-18s he was way ahead of all the other players we played against. I got a call from him in the summer.
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“He said, ‘I have a chance to go to Rangers’. I said, ‘You have to go to have a chance to experience what I experienced there. Trust me, you’re going to love it.'”
“It was great to see him score in this game and I’ll text him later. It’s special – he must be so happy because he’s just a young kid who loves football. He’ll be so excited after this.”
Rangers, led by Russell Martin, are now level on points with Celtic after a dismal start to the season.
Both teams are six points behind Hearts but the Ibrox club, now under Danny Rohr, have come together to quietly push them back into the title race.
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During his three years at Ibrox, Defoe won the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard as manager and the former England striker believes the latest result is “huge” for his old club.
“This win is a huge win because both clubs have struggled,” he said.
“Now they are both level on points. It was very important for Rangers to win this game and how they won it.
“Not just the players, but everyone at the football club and the fans. It’s one of the biggest games in world football.”
A sentiment echoed by Ibrox centre-back John Souttar, who told Wanderers TV: “I think we have experience in the squad and you have to help the younger boys.
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“The atmosphere can be intimidating for some of the lads but we didn’t show that today. Everyone stepped up to the ball and were very aggressive off the ball.
“We had drive, athleticism, speed and power and when we did that and pressed high and put pressure on them, we had a great chance to win, which we did.”
Soutar added: “The supporters have been fantastic. Some of my family are here too which is unbelievable.
“This is a special moment for everyone here but we want to ensure there are many more moments like this in the months and years to come.
“We’ve got to build on that. We’ve got to keep the momentum going and do the basics and what the manager asks of us and then we can see where we’re going.”
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