Step-up has been 'surreal' for Rangers youngster Danny Wilson

Published on Wednesday 25 November 2009 22:44

DANNY Wilson is still coming to terms with the "surreal" experience of being a Rangers first-team player.

The 17-year-old defender has kept his place in Walter Smith's line-up since making his debut in the Co-operative Insurance Cup win at Dundee at the end of October.

Wilson's recent emergence as defensive partner to 39-year-old David Weir is giving Ibrox fans, still reeling after their elimination from Europe at the hands of Stuttgart last night, some hope for the future.

However, the former youth player is still taking it all in. "To make my debut and keep my place in the team has been fantastic for me," said Wilson, speaking on BBC Alba's new monthly CLUB TV programme.

"It feels kind of surreal at the moment. It has not really sunk in yet but I'm just happy it's going the way it is. I didn't think I was going to step up. I just hoped I would keep progressing and be in with a shout of playing."

Wilson revealed that Weir has taken over from Italian legend Paolo Maldini as his role model.

He said: "When I was younger, I watched a lot of Italian football and I liked Maldini, the way he was so composed and never flustered. Obviously, I now look up to Davie Weir; he has played at the top his whole career, so he is a great guy to learn from."

Rangers youngster Wilson is reportedly attracting the attention of clubs down south but he claimed the prospect of him leaving Ibrox in January is "out of the question". "It's not anything I take great notice of," he said. "It has nothing to do with me. I'm just young and trying to break in to the team. Anything to do with me moving away is out the question. At the moment, I am just trying to do my best for Rangers."