Marco Rus becomes Scott Brown's fifth summer signing as Ayr United snap up Coventry City midfielder

Ayr new boy Marco Rus insists he's ready to prove Ayr's long term pursuit of his signature was worthwhile.

The 21-year-old Romanian midfielder, who can play in the centre or off either wing, has penned a two-year-deal to become Scott Brown's fifth summer signing, after agreeing to move north from English side Coventry City. And Rus has told how Ayr's persistence in winning his signature proved a big draw in making the leap to head for Scotland.

He told the Ayrshire Post: "There was interest from the club in January which didn't work out back then, but I'm delighted to have got things done now. If you speak to any player, having that knowledge that a club really wants you is a big factor and gave me that confidence in making the move this summer.

"Listening to the manager speak, his ambition is obvious and where he wants to take the club is really exciting. He's a huge name in the game and he's already putting together a really strong squad, which I'm thrilled to be part of."

Born in Romania, Rus moved to England as a nine-year-old before coming through the youth academy at Yeovil Town, which led to a big move to the Premier League setup of Southampton. Rus would then switch to Coventry, where he has spent a number of loan spells in the English non-leagues honing his craft - and most recently headed for a stint back in his homeland with Universitatea Cluj.

He said: "I've already experienced a fair bit but felt it was important to challenge myself with my next move. I had a couple of options to stay down south or abroad but I felt I needed something a bit different and when I spoke to the manager he made me feel really wanted.

"It's important for my career to have a permanent home where I can develop as a player and the next two years gives me that stability. The league is going to be really tight this year with no clear favourite and with the club ambitious to progress, it feels like a really good time to be coming here."