Mikey Moore has been good for Rangers over the first half of the season. Come the end of the term, Moore will be able to judge how good Rangers have been for him.
The success of his loan spell at Ibrox will not be ranked solely in terms of games played or goals scored, or even medals won. The true value in it will be the personal development, the technical and tactical gains and the insight into what life at a big club is really all about.
Those were the KPIs that Moore identified before he made the move from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer. His ultimate ambition - one that he spoke about in his first weeks here - is to be one of the best players in the world. At 18 and with his career ahead of him, that dream should not be dismissed.
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In years to come, Rangers supporters may well be watching Moore starring in the biggest games alongside the biggest names. If he is, they will be able to say that it was their club that gave him the first real foundation to build on. If he is, Moore will not forget where he once was.
“It's been nice to go and play consistently and just get into a rhythm,” Moore said as he assessed his campaign so far at Ibrox and addressed the comments he made upon his arrival in Glasgow. “I think up here it's a different challenge to where I was before. Physically and mentally, it's developed me loads because the standard of football is very high.
“The teams we play against are very physical and they make it hard for us. For me, technically and physically, I've had to improve. Obviously, the mental side of it has helped me so much.
“When I'm a young player coming up, I'm aiming to be the best I can be. If I ain't got that self-belief that I can go and be one of the best players in the world, then for me, what's the point?
“That's what I've always wanted to be as a footballer. I've still got a long, long way to go before I'm at that level. For me, game by game, I'm improving as a person, firstly, and as a footballer. That's one of my goals, really.
“To be the best player in the world, you've got to deal with huge amounts of pressure and huge games. Being up here, for a first loan, I don't think you can get a much better taste of that. Every single game is to keep you in a spot to do really good things.
“For me, that was one of the main things before I came up here. There were so many parts of the club which I wanted to experience, but that's a massive part of it.
“The pressure you get in those games, there's such a demand to perform and to win every game. For me, that's been a massive thing.”
There were moments earlier in the season that were difficult for Moore as Russell Martin’s side lurched from one crisis to the next. It would have tested an experienced campaigner, never mind a player with limited exposure to the trials and tribulations of first team football.
His form and fortunes have been rejuvenated since the arrival of Danny Rohl in October. Moore is now showing why he had earned such a high billing in London. He speaks with a maturity beyond his years and is thankful for the efforts of Rohl and those around him.
“He's come in and he's given confidence to all of us and come in with a real positive energy,” Moore said. “You can see that with us on the pitch. We're playing a bit more freely and just taking it game by game and enjoying it with each other.
“He's been unbelievable since he's come in. He's been so good with me and all the other boys.
“The one-to-one time comes from him and his coaching staff. They all need to be just as good with us. I have one-to-one meetings with the assistant, Matt, and he does a few of my clips and tries to help me through it.
“The gaffer is there for when I need it and when I need to have a chat. When a decision has come, that's who ends up making the final decision.
“For me, it's them as a collective, but the gaffer has been good with all of us. He's a relaxed guy and he's quite chilled out. He's been top to all of us.”
The highlight of Moore’s campaign so far arrived at Parkhead last weekend. With one swipe of his right boot, he became an Old Firm scorer and an Old Firm hero.
The 3-1 win over Celtic was followed by a victory against Aberdeen that took Rangers up to second spot in the standings. The ambition of title glory is now there to be grasped.
“It's nice to be up there,” Moore said. “That's our aim, but it can change very quickly. I think you start to get into the mentality that we're up there and we're closing the gap.
“If you lose a few games, you're completely back out of it again. For us, it's every game trying to close that gap even more because we're not happy where we are.
“We've done well the last few weeks, but we want to be sitting at the top of the table, not second.
“I think now people have started to realise what position we're really in. Now as a group, I think we have that belief to go and do something.
“We see ourselves in it, which maybe a few months ago we didn't see ourselves in the same spot because we were a little bit lower down the league. Now we're kind of in a real good position to go and attack the last part of the season.
“All the boys have come together and I feel there's a good togetherness in the group at the minute. As long as we keep that going, we've got a real good chance.”
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