The 18-year-old has been electric during his season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur as he dreams of title glory
Upfront Mikey Moore admits not returning to Rangers next season would be a gut-punch as he vowed to do everything to help seal only a second Premiership title in 15 years.
The 18-year-old has been electric during his season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur and is a vital part of the side which is smack bang in the middle of a three-way title fight for the ages with Hearts and Celtic.
Moore is open to a return to Ibrox next season but Rangers may have to play the waiting game with Spurs locked in a relegation dogfight with the England youth international likely to be the fulcrum of any rebuild if they dropped to the Championship.
The playmaker has allowed himself to think what it would be like if he doesn't return, as he attempts to do everything in his power to make a telling impact in his side's final seven games.
Speaking to The Athletic, Moore said: "I've thought about this already. I don't know what's going to happen in the summer but if it plays out that I'm not going back it's going to be really tough as I do genuinely love the club and this city. I have made a connection with the fans. These last seven games are massive. Every second I'm on the pitch I'm going to make the most of it and leave everything on the pitch."
Moore was a fringe man for Spurs last season but got first-hand experience of what it feels like to deliver a trophy to a fanbase. And he wants to replicate that at Ibrox with Rangers three points behind leaders Hearts with 21 still to play for.
He added: "This means everything to me. Last year winning the Europa League was unbelievable but I didn't have as much of a part to play. I feel a responsibility to try and help the team lift the title. We either end it with nothing or the biggest prize you can win."
Moore has also provided a further insight into the inner workings of Ange Postecoglou and what happened before the Australian made him the youngest Premier League player in Tottenham's history when he was awarded his debut.
The former Celtic boss is hailed for his modernity but the Ibrox loanee has explained the old-school nature of his approach before receiving one of his early career highlights.
He said: "He showed trust in me by playing me and I could tell he liked me, but I never spoke to him. He just said 'you're coming on' against Man City for my debut. For my first start I found out in the meeting two hours before the game when the team was on the screen. He stays quite far away and tries to not have as much of a relationship so that when it comes down to big decisions and he has to leave people out, he doesn't have feelings.
"Obviously, a decision was made (to sack him after winning the Europa League) by the people at the top of the club but for me it was a bit of a surprise. When we won I thought he would stay and try to build on what he had done."
But it's a different story when it comes to Danny Rohl. The Rangers boss opened his doors and served his teenage prodigy a rallying message about his importance to the team.
And Moore has revealed the call to arms he was sent from Rohl before the game against Kilmarnock in October which has resulted in Moore becoming a key man in the German's 4-2-2-2 formation.
He said: "I got called into his office. He said: ‘You’re not starting but don’t worry you’re going to come on, maybe at halftime or after 55 minutes, and you’re going to make an impact today’—and I did.
“He told me I was going to be a massive player for us and, by the end of the season, be one of our best players. Those were his words. It gave me belief in myself and made me feel wanted by him. I wanted to repay that.”
The youngster – who revealed his Rangers-daft girlfriend gave him pelters in the wake of last month's Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic – has revealed a telling tweak has paid off big time.
Moore added: “I was in a hotel for over a month while I tried to sort out where to stay, so my nutrition wasn’t right. I have a big focus on that now. That’s been massive and I feel a big physical improvement. I feel a lot better. I work with someone day-to-day outside the club with my movement and my nutrition. I’ve changed my diet a lot which is big for me the way I’m built.”
And the Rangers star – beloved by fans – admits he's come a long way in Light Blue as he reflected on a day of errors under the ill-fated Russell Martin era against Hearts.
Moore was miles off it and he knows it, and he got first-hand experience of how unforgiving an arena Ibrox can be when things don't go your way. And he insists he wouldn't have it any other way.
He said: “I tried to forget about that!. That was a bad day for me. I had a disaster. I could feel the fans getting on my back. Nothing was going right for me. I could have played simpler at times and tried to get myself back in credit. Just keep it and stop doing what I was doing and giving the ball away.
“You can prepare yourself and people can try to prepare you, but once you get hit with it, it’s different. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.
“It was a tough time. I had been dragged off a few times. It was mentally tough to deal with. I could feel it from the gaffer and the fans. I didn’t want to experience too many more days like that. The difference between then and now is madness.”