THE message is simple but effective. The meaning behind it could have been a matter of life or death for Connor Goldson.

Of all the tattoos that adorn the defender’s body, it is the words on each leg – ‘Keep Faith’ - that are perhaps the most pertinent and important.

An imposing physical figure, Goldson is an athlete in the shape of his life, a stopper that could prove to be the signing of the summer for Rangers following his switch from Brighton.

The 25-year-old has an intriguing back story, though. It was one that could have cost him his career, and potentially his life.

Goldson was diagnosed with an enlarged aorta last January - a condition which could have killed him had he carried on playing without having surgery. Today, he shows no ill-effects.

Having returned to action and made his Premier League debut for the Seagulls, he is now preparing for a fresh start under the guidance of Steven Gerrard this season.

His focus is on the future, but he has personal reminders of his past.

“Obviously the first few people I saw it was a bit iffy, they couldn’t really make the diagnoses and they couldn’t tell me 100 per cent that I would be back playing,” Goldson said.

“But from the first time I saw the surgeon he told me as soon as my chest heals I’d be back playing in six to eight weeks.

“I’ve never felt a symptom. I’ve never felt anything to do with my heart.

“It was just a routine check-up that they picked up. Something was a little bit dilated.

“Not much, but once the specialist has seen that, it would have been on his head to let me play football again.

“Many players will be playing with the same thing I had, but I saw the specialist and he couldn’t let me go and play because it would have been on his head if anything happened.

“It was just basically a broken chest bone and it healed in six weeks. I was back running on holiday within four weeks.

“It was just one of those things. I was straight back in pre-season.

“There are a few [tattoos]. ‘Dream as you’ll live forever, live as you’ll die today’. I had that one before.

“There is ‘Keep Faith’ on my legs. That one was after my operation. There are a few little messages to myself from different times.”

Goldson has shown an admirable drive and determination to recover from a serious setback and now he has a chance to kick-start his career.

He was a popular figure on and off the park at the Amex Stadium but a lack of first team opportunities meant it was time for him to move on.

“It was really difficult,” Goldson said. “I have always been used to playing, since the age of 19 I played a lot of first-team games at Shrewsbury and even in my first season at Brighton I made about 30 appearances.

“But then in that pre-season I had a small injury which meant they signed Shane Duffy and to be fair those two, Lewis Dunk, hit it off and they had a great year.

“Obviously last year everyone knows I had the operation, which was another set-back but after that, in the season just gone, it was good I came back from the operation and played Premier League football.

“I made probably ten appearances in cup competitions as we did quite well. But, at the same time, I want to be playing week in, week out.”

At around £3million, Goldson represents a significant outlay for Rangers. Indeed, it is the most they have spent on a single player for several years.

Gerrard will put his faith in the centre-half. It is a backing that he is eager to repay as he looks to establish himself at Ibrox.

Goldson said: “I just feel it’s the right stage of my career as I’m in a place where I kind of have to get my career on track.

“I wasn’t in a bad place but I was obviously third choice at Brighton and I’m someone who always wants to play football every week.

“I’ve always played football every week apart from the last two years so it got to the stage where I knew I had to play week in, week out.

“I wanted to be at a club that is used to winning. There were a few other teams interested in me but I didn’t really want to be at a mid-table team or one that I didn’t think could push.

“I feel there’s a sense of optimism where the club is going in the right direction. They’ve turned it around and the new manager has come in and there’s a lot of expectation.

“I want to be at a team that wants to win things and is pushing at the right end of the table.”

The move to Ibrox has not been the only significant change in Goldson’s life over the last couple of weeks.

His partner, Kayleigh, gave birth earlier this month but there has been little time to adjust to fatherhood as he jetted out to Spain to meet his new team-mates.

“It has been amazing,” Goldson said. “It is the summer I wanted.

“We had a healthy baby. Our first child, and then I got the move I wanted to happen.

“I haven’t played much football in the past two seasons so I just want to get started.

“At first I was more intrigued than anything else when I got the first call from the manager. I didn’t know where I was going or what was happening.

“When the interest was concrete and I knew Rangers were making a bid then I sat down with my family and decided this was the right move for me. I decided this was the next chapter for me.”