Leicester won title after tumbling down the leagues ...Rangers can follow same route to success

ANDY KING’S place in history is secure. The only player of the modern era to have won England’s top three divisions, he helped Leicester City rise from the doldrums to achieve that unforgettable, odds-shattering Premier League triumph in 2016.

The 30-year-old Welsh international midfielder already appreciates what it would mean if he could now help Rangers to complete their own return to prominence.

Freshly resident in Glasgow after completing a season-long loan deal, the hunger for this club to claim its first title since 2011 was immediately apparent when King met fans while watching Thursday night’s Europa League success over FC Midtjylland at Ibrox.

He makes no rash promises about satisfying that craving. But he does sense an opportunity for silverware in the squad assembled by Steven Gerrard and hopes his own experience of success can play a beneficial role.

‘It’s hard to live in Glasgow and not be made aware of it,’ said a smiling King, when asked about the desire for league success among the Rangers support.

‘I have only been here 24 hours and I have been told about it quite a few times. So I’m fully aware of that. It’s down to us as players to try to change that. We’ll have to take it one game at a time and see what happens.

‘One of the major pulls in coming here was a chance to win trophies. Hopefully, we will be competing in four different competitions come the end of the month. It would be brilliant to come here and win

something. That’s definitely the aim. We know the history of the last few years when Celtic have had a strong hold of it. But I feel — with the size of the club and the manager and the players we have — there is no reason why that can’t change this season.

‘What would another title mean to me? It would be massive, but I don’t want to think too far ahead.

‘It has been going Celtic’s way the last few years and they have had a very strong team. I just want to get fit, get in the team, try to help them as much as possible and see where it takes us. I believe that, with the squad we have got here, we can have a really good season.’

King empathises with aspects of how Rangers had to climb the league ladder following their financial disaster in 2012. He had not long graduated into Leicester’s first-team squad when, in 2008, the East Midlands club slumped into the third tier of English football.

‘The news of Rangers having to drop right the way down sent waves through the whole footballing world,’ added King.

‘It wasn’t just up here. It’s such a big club. We have watched them come back slowly and gradually. I really believe that we are getting to a level now where we can compete at the top again.

‘It’s not a dissimilar story to Leicester. We had to drop down to League One and then came all the way back up and eventually won the league.

‘I was young when Leicester were in League One and you are just happy to be playing at that age.

‘I played against Hereford away, Stockport away, and I believe both of those are not even full-time teams any more. But you don’t think of that. You just think of the team you are playing for and the league you are in. You are just happy to be a professional footballer. You have great memories from that season.’

It gave King his first title medal. Championship success followed in 2014, before he completed his unique hat-trick when Claudio Ranieri’s team pulled off one of history’s most remarkable sporting triumphs.

‘There’s so much you could take from it,’ reflected King on the fairytale of becoming a champion of England. ‘You’ve heard of all the stuff. It was 5,000-1.

‘It’s more that if the team sticks together and everyone is pulling in the right direction, and you get on a good run, anything can happen. We showed that more than anything.

‘It’s a nice feeling to have but I’m fully aware that, in football, you can’t dwell on things too much. As good as those moments are when you are winning stuff, it’s always about the future in this game.

‘What can you do next? How can you improve? What will happen next season? How can I make myself better? ‘So you don’t have the time to look back and think about stuff like that. That’s for when you are finished. I still have a lot to give, so I am more worried about looking forward than back.’ King is clearly eager to make an impact with Rangers. As quickly as tomorrow’s Betfred Cup tie against East Fife in Methil. His influence at Leicester has waned since the glory days of 2016, with loans to Swansea and Derby during the last two seasons.

‘I went to Derby last year and did a ligament in my ankle in my fourth or fifth game, which then put me out for the rest of the season,’ said King. ‘That was hard for me because I haven’t had to deal with that too many times in my career. I am hungry to have a good season now. I think this is the perfect place to do that. ‘I am fit and ready to play. I played in the pre-season games at Leicester and enjoyed them. ‘I know the midfield competition here is strong. The team have started brilliantly. We have a lot of players going for certain positions, but that’s normal for me, coming from a Premier League team. ‘If we want to be competing on four fronts, we need to keep the strength in depth. I’m hopeful I can play my part.’