Former Rangers star Calvin Bassey admits he can't wait to reunite with his old teammates this week, but insists that the the whistle blows it is game on.
The defender departed Ibrox this summer, making the move to Amsterdam to join Ajax in a £19 million deal after enjoying a superb second half to the season with the Light Blues including a stellar performance in the Europa League Final. And the 22-year-old hasn't had to wait long to see his old mates again as Rangers travel to take on the Dutch champions in their Champions League group stage opener this coming Wednesday.
Despite the being delighted to meet up with his old colleagues again, the Nigeria international won't be doing his pals any favours. Instead he insists he will do anything to beat Gio van Bronckhorst 's men in the Netherlands next week, admitting he won't let any 'mind games' get to him.
Bassey said: "Let me start by saying that I am intensely happy that Rangers also made it to the Champions League and I am really looking forward to seeing all my friends again in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
"But it is also difficult for me because Rangers knows my strengths and weaknesses and I know theirs from my time in Glasgow. It becomes a mind game.
"When I am on the pitch, they won't be my friends anymore for 90 minutes and I will do everything to win the match for Ajax. It will be a dog-eat-dog fight. Every man for himself."
And Bassey revealed he has former Spurs winger Steven Bergwijn to thank for settling into life at Ajax.
He said: "I didn't know how I would be accepted into the squad, but it has been fantastic. I get on very well with Jurrien Timber, Devyne Rensch, Dusan Tadic, Daley Blind and Kenneth Taylor, but I owe the most thanks to Steven Bergwijn.
"He took me under his wing because – from his Spurs days – he knows what it's like to join a new club in a foreign country as a young boy. The transfer was a surprise to me because I'm a much bigger defender than the type Ajax usually go for and English players almost never go to Ajax or even abroad in general.
"But Ajax was a no-brainer for me. Competing in the Champions League with a high-quality, young team. I want to be a part of that, one hundred percent."
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