DEAN Shiels believes he can finally fulfil his potential as a Rangers player at the grand old age of 30 after enduring for the past three seasons the luckless label of the great Ibrox enigma.

There is little argument that on his day he is one of most talented players in the country, never mind Murray Park, as a nomination for PFA Scotland Player of the Year in 2012 implies. However, the infrequency of his appearances during the Ally McCoist years mean the supporters have seen little of his talent.

Shiels is loath to criticise the former manager, but his assertion that he is enjoying his “best pre-season ever” since Mark Warburton’s arrival is undoubtedly a disguised pot-shot at McCoist.

The Northern Irishman feels he now has the environment and style of play to thrive and if he does not make a good fist of it now he never will.

“It’s been really good,” he said. “It’s been fresh, it’s been new. It’s been really professional and the lads have all bought into it. It’s been a new style of doing things. Everything’s structured and pre-planned. There’s no stone left unturned. Every small detail is covered. Everything’s prepared for the lads when they go out on the Saturday.

“It has been the most enjoyable pre-season I’ve had. It’s been really, really enjoyable. I think of years gone by when you used to get run ragged round a pitch and didn’t see a ball for a week.

“But this pre-season everything we’ve done has been with the ball, technical stuff, and tactical stuff. Even though the running has been tough at times, it’s always been with the ball. The lads have enjoyed it. They prefer it that way.

“I think Mark Warburton is the ideal manager for me right now. Obviously looking from the outside, I watched Brentford quite a few times and they were always quite impressive in how they went about their business and how they tried to play football from the back out and through the midfield.

“Hopefully that can only benefit me and the rest of the lads. Obviously every manager has a different way of wanting to do things. So hopefully the lads will buy into his style and hopefully we can be successful with it.”

Shiels started just 43 league matches over the last three seasons as Rangers climbed two divisions and then stalled in the Championship, ultimately being humiliated by Motherwell in the play-off final.

He showed glimpses of his ability at the tail end of last season when Stuart McCall tried to drag Rangers over the line and he is desperately keen to be given a chance under Warburton.

“My lack of matches was just down to each manager’s decisions,” Shiels said. “Every manager tries to do their best to help the team the best they can and that comes down to making their decisions.

“Obviously there’s a new manager in, a new start for everyone. Last season’s gone, we’ve put that behind us, and now we’ll try our best this year. It was a failure for us, obviously. We’re looking forward to the new season.”

Warburton’s preferred formation is 4-3-3 and Shiels covets the central midfield slot where he hopes he can dictate play. He has had what he considers a healthy conversation with Warburton and his assistant David Weir and his take is there is a place for him if he performs to the right standard.

“I’m quite happy with what they had to say,” he said. “So obviously it’s up to me to do my best when I get the chance to play. At the moment I’ve been playing in the middle and I quite enjoy it in there. I can play wide as well, but I prefer it in the middle. However, we’ll just wait and see what the manager brings.

“Obviously, you’ve got to be flexible, there’s a lot of rotation in the midfield, particularly when we’re in possession. Everything’s done sharp in training, there’s no slacking off in passing drills or anything.

“I think the lads have realised this is a year when we have to do the business and get out of this league. That starts every day by giving 100 per cent in training.

“Obviously I want to get going, I’m want to play regularly like anyone else here. But first and foremost I just want to get my fitness to a certain level to set me up for the rest of the season. Then we’ll look towards the first league game and we’ll try to build on that.”