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Raith Rovers midfielder Jordan Thompson is determined to prove he is not part of the ’Nandos’ generation, and revealed he finally met new Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha after going to the gym on his day off.
Thompson and Ryan Hardie are both on loan at Stark’s Park but the pair came across the Portuguese for the first time on Wednesday after doing some extra work at Rangers’ Murray Park training complex on Wednesday.
Northern Irishman Thompson’s dedication to his profession comes amid an avalanche of negative publicity for youngsters after Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay claimed kids in their early 20s lack the drive to succeed.
Experienced former Hibs and Dundee United midfielder John Rankin then suggested that youngsters were more interested in Nandos and the cinema than putting in the hours on the training pitch.
But Thompson, 20, admits going into work on his day off paid off after he bumped into Caixinha.
He said: “I actually met the new manager on Wednesday, he introduced himself.
“It was me and Ryan Hardie that were in, we were getting a wee bit of food having been at the gym and he was there.
“He came over and introduced himself, it was good to finally meet him and hopefully we’ll go in before the end of the season to get a few training sessions and he can see what he thinks before we split for the summer.
“I’m sure he knows all about the players that are out on loan, hopefully it’s good things he is hearing in terms of me getting game time out at Raith, that’s going to help me get into his ear and get into his plans. “We’ll go back in pre-season and I’ll try and get in that team.
“Everyone at Rangers says the training is brilliant and they’re all pleased.”
Former Manchester United trainee Thompson, who is set to face Falkirk on Saturday, has vowed to do all he can to give himself the best chance to make it at Rangers.
He added: “Sometimes me and Ryan will go in and do a bit of gym work on Wednesday, on our day off or if we have spare time.
“I only live down the road from Murray Park so it’s not a big hassle for me to get in and do some work.
“I want to go back to Rangers and prove myself, even if it’s going into the gym for an hour – just keeping myself about the first team, it’s always going to help me and stand me in good stead.”
