NIKO KRANJCAR insists he moved to America to kick-start his career - and not to wind it down and ease towards retirement.

The Croatian completed a switch to Rangers on Thursday morning as he finalised a two-year-deal to become Mark Warburton’s sixth signing of the summer.

Kranjcar was a Premier League star with Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Queen’s Park Rangers and made the move Stateside earlier this year after he left Dynamo Kyiv.

Some Gers fans are sceptical as to why the 31-year-old would give up his life in the Big Apple for a switch to Glasgow but the lure of silverware was too great to turn down.

Kranjcar said: “It was a decision about my football ambitions to win things, win trophies and play at the highest level. I am sure I can achieve that here.

“When I terminated my contract in Kiev, it was towards the end of January. I was also coming off the end of a winter break and hadn’t trained for two months.

“Going to New York was a great opportunity for me to join a team that had just started its pre-season. My goal was to get fit, see how it would go in the States, but to use it while waiting for the summer window in Europe to open up.

“As I said, I didn’t think I would have done myself justice had a gone to a European team after leaving Kiev, especially as the club seasons were shorter because of the Euros.

“I wanted to get really fit and back into the rhythm of playing games. I achieved that by going to Cosmos.

“When I heard about Rangers, that was the most attractive one. There were contacts from England but nothing concrete.”

The deal to bring Kranjcar to Ibrox is another significant one for Warburton following the captures of Joey Barton and Clint Hill already this summer.

Former Accrington pair Matt Crooks and Josh Windass and midfielder Jordan Rossiter have also joined the Gers ahead of the new campaign.

Boss Warburton jetted across the Atlantic to hold face-to-face talks with Kranjcar in a bid to persuade him to become an integral part of the Light Blues’ title bid.

And the playmaker is determined to repay his manager’s time and effort by recapturing the form that saw him become a star for club and country during a glittering career.

Kranjcar said: “He wants me to be committed to the cause, which is winning the league.

“That was my first question to him, to be fair. Is the goal to win the league?

“Because if you are signing for a club of the magnitude of Rangers then I think that has to be the goal. You have to try everything to achieve that goal.

“The response from the manager was positive and from that moment on I knew I would be really happy with the opportunity to sign here.

“I wanted to have a good go at playing at the highest level again, winning games and winning trophies.

“I love the game. I love playing football. It is still something that makes me happy and also frustrates me as well, because you want to be the best you can be.

“I am delighted and thankful for the opportunity I have at the moment. It is a privilege and an honour to be part of the Glasgow Rangers team.

“But I have said before that it is also a big responsibility. Once you sign for a club that has so many fans you absolutely have to dedicate every bit of yourself to being the best you can and to achieving things with the club.”