Rangers midfielder Dean Shiels has revealed that legendary English midfielder Paul Gascoigne was his footballing idol growing up.
The 31-year-old former Arsenal youth product has become a first team regular at Ibrox since signing for the Gers in 2012 from Kilmarnock.
However, the Northern Ireland international has fallen down the pecking order under Mark Warburton and has managed to make 27 appearances this season, most of them as a substitute, scoring three goals and assisting another four.
Shiels named Gascoigne and his uncle Sam Shiels as his footballing idols growing up.
Gascoigne managed 112 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur in his three-year spell with the north London outfit scoring 33 goals.
relatedNewsStory
The 48-year-old also plied his trade in Scotland with Rangers, scoring 39 goals in 104 appearances for the Ibrox outfit.
Gascoigne also managed to make 57 appearances for the England national team between 1988 and 1998 and scored 10 goals.
Shiels' uncle used to play in the Irish league for Coleraine and the 31-year-old used to go to the matches to watch his uncle.
Speaking in an interview with Rangers TV, Shiels said when asked about his idols: “I would probably say Paul Gascoigne and my Uncle Sam Shiels who played in the Irish league for Coleraine.
“He was a big goalscorer so I used to go and watch Coleraine and my Uncle Sam was a hell of a player.
“He will go down as my idol as my dad is too old and I didn’t get the chance to properly see him play.
“He tells me he was good, but he is not my football idol!”
Shiels will be looking to play a more integral part in the second half of the Gers’ quest for the Championship title this season.
