Nathan Patterson has expressed his gratitude to Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard after completing his transfer from Rangers to Everton. The young defender broke into the first team at Ibrox under Gerrard, with his impressive performances and rich potential persuading the Toffees to shell out an initial £11.5million on the 20-year-old, who has penned a five-and-a-half-year deal at Goodison Park.
Nathan Patterson said: “It’s really hard to put into words what Rangers Football Club means to me, but I’ll try. The day I made my debut was the best day of my life. The day we won (League title) number 55 will live with me forever. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to make it this far, and I hope every Rangers supporter knows I gave absolutely everything for the club for the past 13 years. I am one of you, a fan, who was lucky enough to play for the club they love. Thank you to my family for the sacrifices you made. Thank you to Steven Gerrard, Steve Clarke and all their coaches for having faith in me and helping me realise my ambition for club and country. Thank you to every coach from under-8s onwards who gave me their help and guidance along the way. And thank you to my agent, Grant Smith, who has believed in me and supported me from day one. I will always support this great club – and I wish Gio (manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst), his coaches and my friends – the players, all the best this season and beyond. I will be back in the future with the supporters in the stands, cheering the team. I arrived here a boy with a dream. I leave as a man with the most amazing memories. Thanks for everything, Nathan. PS. WATP (We are the people).”
