Patterson to keep feet firmly on ground after Everton interest

NATHAN Patterson insists he is only focussed on the future with club and country after being linked with a big money move to the Premier League.

The right-back was a target for Everton manager Rafa Benitez earlier this season as the Toffees saw a second multimillion pound offer rejected by the Ibrox board.

Steven Gerrard branded an initial £5million approach as a ‘joke’ and told his former Liverpool manager to ‘get real’ as he expressed his desire to retain Patterson’s services and see him flourish at Ibrox.

Manchester United have become the latest side to be credited with an interest in the 19-year-old in recent days as Patterson continues to make a real impression under Gerrard’s guidance.

But he won’t allow speculation over his future to distract him from his targets for Rangers and Scotland as he prepares for the crucial World Cup qualifier with Israel.

Patterson said: “Yes, that was obviously nice to see that teams are interested but I am only interested in playing football.

“That’s the stuff that comes with it and I am not really aware of anything that happens, I just go on the pitch and do my thing and let the outside talk. You need to keep your feet grounded and just focus on your football and that’s what I have been doing.

“In football you have media everywhere now, and you have everyone’s opinions.

“Sometimes you just need to block that out and focus on yourself, surround yourself with the right people and I feel as if I have done that.

“I have a good group of friends, good team-mates and family also who keep pushing me on to do well.

“I have been working really hard with all the coaches that have been helping me along the way and any time I get the opportunity I need to make sure I am ready to prove myself.

“I feel as if I have done that but I need to keep pushing on and hopefully get more opportunities.”

Patterson was handed his first Premiership start of the campaign on Sunday as Rangers consolidated their place at the top of the Premiership with victory over Hibernian.

He is now in line to get the nod for Steve Clarke’s side in the first fixture of a huge double-header that will see Scotland host old foes Israel and then make the trip to the Faroe Islands next week. “They are massive games,” Patterson said. “We have a big one at home against Israel and then we need to travel away to Faroe Islands and we hope we can get the results we need.

“The games are coming thick and fast and we are looking to get the results we need to get to try to progress into the play-offs.

“We certainly have the team. We have a lot of talent in the team so we are certainly capable of doing it and just hope we can go on the pitch and get the results we need.

“The boys know it is a sellout, they know how big a game it is and hopefully we can give a good performance for the fans.

“We have played them six times in the last three years.

“They are a top side, they have dangerous players, so we need to make sure we nullify their dangers and we can get the three points.”

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp admits it would have been ‘nice’ to have worked with Gerrard at the height of his Anfield powers.

The Liverpool manager was asked by This is Anfield which former player he wished he could have coached and said: “That’s easy. It’s Stevie.

“When we played in Sydney three or four years ago and after the season we didn’t have a proper team and we invited [Steve] McManaman, [Daniel] Agger, Jamie Carragher and Stevie. But Stevie, what a player he still was then!

“So it’s Stevie. Six years ago it would have been a different answer but now I’m here and I know him as a person and as a player so that’s now an easy answer.”