Connor Barron inspired by Napoli's Scottish imports as Rangers star hopes to make Europa League splash
Connor Barron has been wowed this month by two men staring in the sky blue of Napoli.
Now he hopes he can take the lessons he’s gleamed from Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay and use that to stupefy the Sky Blues of Malmo. The Ibrox kid was delighted to receive his first Scotland call-up ahead of the Nations League clashes against Poland and Portugal.
The invite from Steve Clarke gave the 22-year-old the chance to get an up close look at Naples’ new Scottish imports. Now he hopes to put what he picked up from Gilmour and McTominay on the training field into practice when he makes his Europa League bow at the Eleda Stadion tonight. Former Aberdeen ace Barron said: “It was an honour to get the call up. It was great to go in there and see how these players at the top level are working week in, week out.
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“I felt at home in training and I felt comfortable. I was just picking up these little things and constantly learning, that's all you can do. I’m buzzing. Obviously last season we got a little taste of the Conference League with Aberdeen and it was a big part of me coming to Rangers with the European football.
“I can't wait to go out and pitch and show what we can do. Can I go to the next level as a player? Definitely, as I said it's just the start. It's about us as a team as well and I can see us as a team growing and building each week.
“We're nowhere near the finish line yet but we're doing great so far. We just need to keep building in the same direction now and keep pushing. Thursday is another opportunity for that on the European stage.”
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Barron was given a taste of continental action last year as his Dons team came close to punching well above their weight in the Conference League. They picked up three draws and a win over German big guns Eintracht Frankfurt but missed out on the knock-out rounds.
But Barron reckons that’s a real possibility with Philippe Clement’s men. Asked if he felt Gers could progress from the new league phase, he said: “One hundred percent yes. That's what we are at Rangers Football Club.
“We want to win every game we play and that doesn't change no matter what competition it is. We're here to win. You take a lot in as a young player, you're always learning.
“Last year with Aberdeen we had a lot of experiences, with ups and downs. Those are experiences that I will take forever in my career. It's just the start and Thursday is another opportunity for us as a club to go and get three points. I can't wait to get going.
“We don't want to think too far ahead. We want to take it each game as it comes. Thursday is our first opportunity and Thursday’s the start. We'll go out there fresh and hopefully we can start with a win.”