STEPHEN KELLY was all but convinced of a move to Salford City when a phone call from Paul Scholes sealed the deal.
The Rangers starlet had already had positive talks with boss Gary Bowyer – then the Manchester United and England legend made his own personal request.
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Ex-Rangers starlet Stephen KellyCredit: The Sun
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Manchester United icon Paul ScholesPhoto credit: Getty
Along with Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers, Scholes co-owns the ambitious League Two club.
After hearing about the Old Trafford icon’s plans, midfielder Kelly was certain.
The 21-year-old, who is on loan until the end of the season, said: “I had already spoken to the manager and he gave me a good feeling about the club.
“I also spoke to the director of football and then I got a call from Paul Scholes. That was really good of him.
“The manager told me that they did their homework for me and saw a lot of videos of me playing.
“They felt they needed a player like me because they didn’t have someone like that in their squad.
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“Paul said the same thing when I spoke to him.
“Any player will tell you, when you hear that from a manager that they really want you to play for their team, it’s great for your confidence.
“After that, my decision was made pretty quickly.”
After working under Steven Gerrard at Rangers, Kelly has now received a glowing endorsement from another England legend.
He faces a debut against Bradford City as a Salford chaser.
Kelly is determined to take it all as he begins the next chapter in his career.
He added: “Gary Bowyer has made it very clear what he expects from me and that’s great from my point of view.
“He believes in me, he played at a good level himself. Salford are a really ambitious club, they are very forward thinking.
“I liked the idea of coming here and helping the club. I’ll try to help the team get where they want to go.
“They have placed a lot of trust in me and I want to repay that. I don’t feel any extra pressure from it, I really enjoy it.
“It’s a responsibility and that’s what I’m looking for. That will give me extra motivation.
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“I’ve had my fair share of managers even though I was only 21 years old. I think you take something from every gaffer you work under.”
After performing well during loan spells at Ayr United and Ross County, Kelly was not short of offers to stay in Scotland.
But in a bold move he has chosen to further his career in England as he believes it will serve him well when he returns to Ibrox in the summer.
Kelly said: “It’s a hugely exciting move for me and something else.
“It’s a loan deal until the end of the season but when I saw and heard Salford’s ambitions I thought it would be a really good experience for me.
“I had other options, I could have stayed in Scotland but I thought it was time to try something new.
“I don’t know if it’s a bold move or not. I’ve had two previous rental moves in Scotland so felt like it was time for something different.
“The club really appealed to me. I don’t know too much about League Two, but I’ll find out soon.
“There’s no doubt that it’s a tough league and there are some big clubs from the past playing in it.
“My thought was if I try something different, it will help me in the long run.
“I’ve shown I can handle the leagues in Scotland so I wanted to give English football a try, it just adds value to you.
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“I’m not homesick. When I was up in Ross County, I was up there most of the year.
“You couldn’t travel back to Glasgow because of Covid. I’ve always tried to take it easy with these things and it won’t be any different.
“My family can drive down and I can always jump up the road.”
Kelly is keen to help Salford achieve his promotion dream before focusing on his long-term future at Ibrox.
He added: “My focus right now is on Salford and achieving our goals this season.
“Everyone on the street wants to get into the Rangers first team, we all want that.
“But I have to park that for now and focus on the challenge I have here.
“Nathan Patterson showed there is a path to the first team so it’s up to me now.
“I’m just looking forward to starting for Salford.
“Obviously the short-term goal is to win games and try to secure at least a play-off spot.
“It’s a very tight league, but that’s still doable. Hopefully the minimum we can get is a play-off spot and it’ll go from there.”
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