Hardie gets a new deal — and help from Defoe

RYAN HARdie believes ‘picking the brains’ of Jermain defoe in Tenerife can help him flourish at Livingston — and prove Steven Gerrard was right to hand the 21-year-old striker a new deal at Rangers. Hardie yesterday signed a one-year contract extension at ibrox and was immediately farmed out for a further loan spell at Livvy. The Scotland Under-21 cap was recalled by the ibrox club earlier this month after scoring five goals in six games for Gary Holt’s team before the winter break, following his return from an ankle injury. And Hardie admits he benefited from a thrilling experience in the Canaries where he got to work under Gerrard for the first time and played alongside new signing defoe during Rangers’ warm-weather training camp. Ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Cup fourth-round clash with Hearts at Tynecastle, he is now determined to make the most of another stay at Almondvale before heading back to Rangers in the summer ready to fight for a first-team place. ‘i’ve watched Jermain scoring goals in england for years and now he’s at Rangers,’ says Hardie. ‘it was really good playing alongside him in Tenerife. There are a lot of things i’ll learn from him. i was picking his brains. ‘i need to look to the older boys for advice. i’m always learning from them, seeing what they do, what their habits are in training. ‘The manager told me that i just needed to continue with what i’ve been doing. it’s great when Steven Gerrard says he has been impressed with what i’ve done. ‘When he came in last summer, i was injured and missed the full pre-season and was out until december. ‘So, i’m glad i got that chance in Tenerife. it was more about showing him what i was about and proving that i was worth a new deal. ‘He told me that it would be selfish of him to take me back to Rangers. We agreed it was best for me to go back out on loan and get another few months playing.’