Rangers new boy Ricky Foster is hoping his move to Ibrox can help him make the breakthrough into the Scotland set-up.

Foster completed a surprise season-long loan move to the Gers earlier this week – with striker Andrius Velicka heading in the opposite direction.

The 25-year-old was unveiled at Murray Park just as Craig Levein’s national squad were heading out to Kaunas to prepare for their opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Lithuania on Friday night.

And Foster, who has represented his country at Under-21 level before, has set his sights on doing well at Rangers and joining them in the future.

“Getting into the Scotland set-up is definitely in the back of my mind,” he said. “I realise, if I get into the team and I cement a place and I’m playing every week for Rangers, then I feel that the national manager will maybe come and have a look.

“It’s not one of my goals to start with. I need to break into the team to begin with but, if I do that, I can maybe think of other things.”

Foster – who can play at left-back or in midfield – knows he has to establish himself in the first team before he can think about making his move to Rangers a permanent one.

“That’s not something I’m thinking about,” he said. “I’m just here to play as many games as I can, to be involved in as many squads as I can.

“If I do well here, you never know what could happen. But I know at the end of the day I’m an Aberdeen player and, after my loan, I could go back there if nothing else happens.”

He added: “It’s a small squad here, but they’ve got quality, especially with the first 11, 12, 13 players.

“I’m under no illusions that I’m going to be coming straight into the team. I realise I’m here primarily as a squad player to start with, but my aim is to show that I’ve got something different and hopefully break into the team.

“There is a lot of quality in the squad, it is a strong squad, but you never know what’s going to happen with injuries and suspensions.

“I just hope that I do enough in training for the manager to give me a chance and, if I get an opportunity, hopefully I take it.”

Aberdeen’s terrible record of being upset by lower-league teams in cup competitions in recent years has been well-documented and, if he does return to Pittodrie at the end of the season, Foster fully intends to go back with some silverware.

He said: “You don’t come to a club like Rangers without that being on your mind, especially after the success of last year.

“It would be nice to get some medals. The boys here have experienced it already and hopefully they can do it again.

“It would be my first medal in Scotland if I did win anything here. The closest I’ve come was a semi-final with Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, but I’ve not played in a final.

“Of all the games that Aberdeen have lost to lower-league opposition, I think I’ve played in them all and it’s not been a nice experience.”