JAMES SANDS has set his sights on silverware success this season after joining Premiership champions Rangers.
Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst clinched his first signing of the transfer window as Sands put pen-to-paper on an 18-month loan deal this week.
Rangers will resume the title race with a six-point lead over Celtic and still have ambitions in the Scottish Cup and Europa League between now and the end of the campaign.
Sands has already picked up a medal this term after helping Ronny Deila's New York City side secure the MLS Cup just weeks before his Ibrox move.
And the midfielder is confident he can handle the weight of expectation from a demanding support as Rangers seek to retain their Premiership crown in the coming months.
Sands told RangersTV: “It’s a massive moment for me coming to a club with such good traditions and a winning history.
“It’s a big step for me. I’m really looking forward to getting in with a good group of players and the coaches. It’s an exciting time for me.
“With the ambitions Rangers have both domestically here in Scotland in Europe that it made sense to go to a club that has those ambitions.
“They are willing to work on my development as a player and as a person. So that was a big reason.
“Also, to play in front of a fanbase like Rangers is huge for me in terms of learning how to play in those environments.
“Now is a good time because I have achieved a lot of what I wanted to in the MLS. Winning the trophy at the end of the season was the perfect sending off from New York.
“Now I am looking for a new challenge and I am sure it will be a challenge. But I have a lot of good people around me so I am really pumped for it and hopefully I can be winning some more trophies soon.”
Sands arrived in Glasgow this week to complete his move across the Atlantic and was given his maiden tours of Ibrox and Rangers' Auchenhowie training base.
It remains to be seen when the 21-year-old will get to experience a capacity home crowd for the first time as supporters wait to discover when they will be permitted to return to their seats amid ongoing Covid restrictions.
But Sands is already dreaming of what the atmosphere will be like as he bids to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact under Van Bronckhorst's guidance.
Sands said: "It was really amazing and something that you don’t really experience or see in the US much. Walking through it, you see the stands and the Trophy Room and get a sense of how historic the club is and how much the winning culture has impacted it.
"That was super impressive and I can only imagine what I sounds like when it is full in there. I am pretty excited to get going.
"I honestly can’t wait. The passion that the fans have is second to none.
"That will be a new experience for me but definitely something that I am excited about. They have high expectations for the team but so far the team is doing pretty well to match those expectations.
"I think [the aim] is just to make an impact as soon as I can. Coming off the off season in MLS, I have had a couple of weeks to get back into shape and into the swing of things.
"I know it is the middle of the season here so it is making an impact, helping the team any way I can and making sure we finish the season with a trophy."
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