Star already ‘yelling’ at new teammates after Rangers transfer exit as new gaffer wowed amid huddle gesture

Aris Limassol boss Aleksey Shpilevsky has been impressed by the defender’s early impact

Former Rangers star Connor Goldson is already proving a smash hit with new club Aris Limassol after boss Aleksey Shpilevsky sang the defender’s praises as a leader on and off the pitch.

 

The Englishman completed a surprise move to the Cypriot club last week and made his debut in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Serie A outfit Udinese during their pre-season training camp in Austria, playing the first 45 minutes.

The centre-back then featured in the 2-1 friendly loss to Bundesliga side FC Heidenheim three days later where he made the headlines for snubbing a Celtic-style huddle ahead of the match, appearing to give a nod to his past life in Glasgow.

Instagram account showed Goldson noticeably standing up with his hands clasped behind his back rather than taking part and linking arms with his new teammates – a tradition closely associated with the Hoops – as they brought the curtain down on their summer preparations.

And Belarusian manager Shpilevsky admits he has been hugely impressed by Goldson’s leadership qualities, with the centre-back moving on after six years at Ibrox where he served as vice-captain to James Tavernier. He said: “I very much like what I have seen from Connor already. He is exactly what this team needed – a leader. He has it in his character.

 

“He made his debut and had only trained for a day after his transfer and was yelling and directing his teammates. That’s exactly the type of player we were looking for and he will be a very important player for us on and off the pitch this season. We have managed to keep the main players in the squad and added really important ones like Connor. And there is still time to bring in more players too.”