New Rangers signing Kieran Dowell impressed by 'intensity' at Ibrox club

New Rangers midfielder Kieran Dowell has revealed he is impressed by the “intensity” within the club and says it is not something he’s experienced before after joining from Norwich City.

The 25-year-old, who played 75 times for the Canaries before making the move to Glasgow, began his career at Everton and had loan spells at Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Derby County and Wigan Athletic.

Despite his experience, the midfielder said manager Michael Beale sold him on a new challenge and admitted the intensity he has witnessed around the club is “not one I’ve seen in the Championship”.

He said: “The intensity’s been really high.

“That was what the manager said to me when I first met him, he saw it as a new challenge for me, and it’s something that he’s really sold to me.

“The intensity up here is not one that I’ve seen really in the Championship, and that’s the big reason that I wanted to come here.

“I have kept an interest in the bigger games, obviously the old firms and stuff like that, and I’ve known a few Rangers fans from other clubs, so they are always talking about it aswel.

“Kenny McLean at Norwich, Billy Gilmore when he was loan, I was knocking around with them two and you just pick stuff up.”

Dowell agreed a three-year deal with the Ibrox side on July 1, becoming manager Michael Beale’s first summer signing as he revamps his squad.

Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and forward Cyriel Dessers all followed shortly after as the Ibrox club attempt to wrestle the title back from rivals Celtic.

The 25-year-old said the aim for everyone at the club is to bring silverware back to Ibrox after last year’s trophy-less season.

Dowell added: “That’s what I came here to do and that’s the ambition of the manager as well.

“Obviously a lot of new players, you want to impress the manager, you want to impress your new teammates, so the intensity’s been really good and now we’re starting to get to grips with how the manager wants us to play and how we’re gonna fit in, and the different systems he likes to use.

“I think its plain to see the amount of business we’ve done so far, and the competition for places we’ve already got, it’s only gonna stand us in good stead and that’s the aim for everyone at the club.”

The former England youth international joins Rangers having not played since February after suffering knee ligament damage.

Despite admitting it was a “frustrating” period, the midfielder says he is “fresh” to get started at Rangers.

He said: “With the timing of the injury, I was almost fit once the season ended.

“I was aiming for the play-offs with Norwich which we didn’t get into, so I’ve almost just been ticking over since the season ended which has been frustrating time wise, but means I can be fresh to start here at Rangers.

“I feel like I’m a creative player, I feel like I like to play forward, take risks on the ball, I’ll have a pop at goal, try and slide someone through. I like to try and create goals for the team.”