It was a crushing end to the season, and there wasn’t much time to process it before heading straight into the World Cup—one of the proudest moments of any career. My mum, dad, and girlfriend were in the U.S. supporting me, and I tried to make the most of that, but going into the tournament without a contract turned out to be the wrong call. It was incredibly stressful, hard to stay present at a World Cup with all the noise around my future and my dad asking every day what was happening.
I didn’t add to my five Australia caps at the tournament, and a week after our last-32 loss to Egypt, Hearts confirmed I wouldn’t be re-signing. Rangers announced me the next day. McInnes had gone from trying to keep me at Tynecastle to encouraging me to make the move to Ibrox.
Everyone knows how close I am with the gaffer; he did so much for me at Hearts and helped me grow as a player. I tried to park it all and enjoy the World Cup, but when the chance came, it was too good to turn down.
Leaving Hearts was a tough call. It’s a special club, and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to play outside Australia. I had a lot to weigh up, especially having never been off-contract before. The Rangers option came a bit later, and having been in Scotland a while, I know how big the club is. Being a Rangers player is incredibly special—something I never thought would happen—and I couldn’t say no.
As for last season’s title disappointment, football can be cruel. You pick yourself up and take the next chance. Hopefully I can go one better with Rangers.