JAMES Tavernier has vowed not to rest until Rangers have secured Champions League football and has vowed to improve on his outstanding performances in Europe last season in the coming months.
Ibrox right back and captain Tavernier was the top scorer in the Europa League with seven goals and was also named in the competition’s Team of the Season.
However, the defender, who signed a new long-term contract with the Glasgow giants this week, is hungry for even more success on the continent.
He is determined to help Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team to beat PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of the Champions League play-off in the Netherlands on Wednesday night and reach the group stages.
“We have to push on,” he told Rangers TV ahead of the cinch Premiership match against Hibernian at Easter Road this afternoon. “The Champions League is our goal.
“Last season was a taste of what we want as a club. We want to compete with the best clubs in Europe and I won’t stop until we achieve that.
“That’s why it was perfect for me to extend my contract. It’s something I really want and I know we will put everything into Wednesday night.”
Tavernier added: “I’m definitely part of the furniture. It’s such a great place to play football and I can’t wait to see what the coming years are going to bring.
“I am really settled here, the family is really settled here. I am getting into my prime and I’m going to be showing good football from myself.
“I don’t want to stand still, I always want to better myself. My target this season is to get more goals and more assists, I am always trying to push myself to be better, to be a better captain and to learn from past years.
“I want us to collectively get it together and I want to learn off new players who have had important roles in their clubs. I’ll take notes from everyone to make myself better.”
Tavernier confessed that being the Rangers captain during their run to the Europa League final in Seville last season had been special for him.
However, the Englishman is more interested in helping the Ibrox club to achieve even greater success in continental competition and joining the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages than looking back.
“It was such a proud moment to lead the boys throughout that European campaign,” he said. “Everybody who took part, the team, the staff, the fans, saw the togetherness that was shown at home and in Europe.
“It really put Rangers back on the map. It said ‘we are here’ and ‘we’re here to stay’ and ‘this is what we are about’.
“It was unfortunate that we lost on the penalty shoot-out, but we can take great pride in what we achieved. We have to push on. The Champions League is our goal.
“Last season was a taste of what we want as a club. We want to compete with the best clubs in Europe and I won’t stop until we achieve that. That’s why it was perfect for me to extend my contract.
"Hopefully in the years I’m here we can really push and be where we want to be. Tuesday was a surreal moment when you hear that music as you watch Champions League games on TV and you here it before games.
"It’s something you always dream about playing in. It’s the biggest competition on football.
“It’s something I really want and I know we will put everything into Wednesday night and the coming seasons to make sire we playing Champions League football.
“As long as we leave everything out on that pitch on Wednesday, I’ve got the fill belief in our team that we can do the job over PSV.
“Their fans will be behind them, but we’ve gone to really tough places throughout the years and have out in good performances so I’m expecting the same on Wednesday.”
