Confident Ridvan Yilmaz has brushed off speculation that he could be set to leave Rangers for Turkey after just one season.
The left-back has struggled for regular minutes and has been behind Borna Barisic in the Ibrox pecking order since arriving from Besiktas with injuries hampering his debut campaign in the Scottish Premiership after his £5million move, which has sparked suggestions in his homeland that the 21-year-old could make a return to his former club - with Galatasaray also touted as an interested party. But Michael Beale has shown a clear indication that he is part of the plans for next season as with the full-back given a starting run in the side towards the end of the campaign.
In a sit-down interview with TRT Spor was put on the spot about the reports of a move away from Rangers in Turkey. He responded: "At the moment, I don't have any plans to return to Turkey."
Having been signed by Gio van Bronckhorst, he rarely featured under the Dutchman before he was shown the Ibrox door mid-season. Yilmaz opened up on the changes behind the scenes since Beale's arrival: "We were more like friends with him. He used to joke with us. Michael Beale, who is currently the coach of the team, is a bit more serious."
The left-back also admitted he wasn't ready for the demands of playing for Rangers when he first arrived in Scotland. The honest star added: "I was not physically ready when I first went to Scotland. They said that my physique could improve when I gained a little weight. They gave me a program and I followed it. The physical quality is higher in Scotland. When we look at work physically, they are much stronger than us. Both training and matches are very tough. Strength in Scotland is very different level."
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