Cammy Devlin says the opportunity to reunite with former Hearts boss Derek McInnes at Rangers was something he could not afford to turn down.
Devlin joined Rangers on a two-year deal earlier this month following the expiration of his contract with Hearts, ending a five-year stint at Tynecastle.
The 28-year-old is one of three significant arrivals at Rangers from Hearts, following in the footsteps of McInnes as well as experienced striker Lawrence Shankland.
He made 176 appearances for Hearts across all competitions and registered 18 goal contributions (eight goals, 10 assists) during that time.
But it was in the 2025-26 season that Devlin truly flourished under McInnes, as Hearts missed out on a first Scottish Premiership title since 1960 following a dramatic final-day defeat to eventual champions Celtic.
No player made more tackles than Devlin's 69 in the Scottish Premiership last season, while his 226 duels won ranked as the fourth-highest in the division.
"Everyone knows the relationship I have with the gaffer where we are super close. He was good for me at Hearts and everyone knows the season we had there," Devlin said.
"He helped me so much as a player.
"I was not trying to focus on it too much and just enjoy the World Cup, but when the opportunity came, it was one that was too good to pass up."
Devlin had been weighing up whether to sign a new contract with Hearts after going so close to winning the title, but he delayed his decision due to his involvement at the World Cup.
He was named in Australia's 26-man squad for the tournament in North America, but did not play a single minute before his nation were knocked out in the last 32 by Egypt.
A week after Australia's elimination, Hearts put out a statement revealing that Devlin had missed the deadline to take up the offer of a new deal, thus paving the way to seal a switch to Rangers.
"The [Celtic] game was on the Saturday and I flew out to the World Cup on the Tuesday," Devlin added. "It was devastating.
"But I didn't have much time to reflect on how last season ended and then straight into the World Cup, which is one of the most special moments of your career.
"My mum, my dad and my girlfriend were over in America supporting me. So you try to enjoy that as much as you can.
"I thought it would be a good idea to go there off-contract, but it wasn't. It was too stressful.
"It was hard just being in the moment being at the World Cup and dealing with all that and the noise around it, and my dad asking me every day what's going on."