Russell Martin has vowed to win over his critics after being unveiled as Rangers’ new head coach.

The 39-year-old was paraded at Ibrox yesterday after signing a three-year deal to spearhead the revolution under the club’s new American owners.

The former Scotland and Norwich City defender, who had a brief loan stint at Rangers in 2018, has previously managed MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton.

Asked if he is confident he can silence the critics, Martin replied: ‘Yeah, I have to be. I think I have a lot to prove. I have done it my whole career.

‘My whole career has been based on proving people wrong, really. At every level, I got questioned.

Rangers manager Martin parades his new colours in the home dressing room at Ibrox

Martin turned out for Rangers at the tail end of his career to very little fanfare

The new manager is now looking forward to the challenge of helping Rangers compete again

‘I got to the Premier League as a player. I wasn’t convinced that I could do it, but I managed to establish myself there for a little while.

‘I ended up playing four or five seasons there, played international football, which I’m incredibly proud of.

‘So, it’s the same again as a manager, I have to prove people wrong at every opportunity.’

Out of work since leaving Southampton last December, Martin was described as the standout candidate by Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart in what became a lengthy recruitment process.

The club had also held talks with Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti, but it was Martin’s vision, experience, and style of play that elevated him above the other contenders.

‘There’s always some names in football management that are always a bit more exciting than others, of course,’ said Martin, when asked about his rivals for the job.

‘I feel after five-and-a-half-years of being a manager, being a coach, being a leader in an environment, I love doing it.

‘I’m going to be all in here with my energy, and my love for it, and passion, and hopefully that will reflect on the pitch and people will see that, and at some point they’ll enjoy it.

Martin was proud of his career journey that took him all the way to the Premier League

Martin was more than happy to talk up his playing philosophy on his official unveiling

‘And hopefully, like I said, hopefully they just want to win, and if our team is winning, I’m sure they’ll be happy.

‘I don’t think I’ve been the number one choice [among fans] at any club I’ve been at. But by the time we’ve left every club I’ve been at, I felt a real connection with the supporters.

‘I am excited to be here and I want to build a Rangers team who the fans can identify with and are excited to watch.’

The former centre-back, who won 29 caps between 2011 and 2017, revealed that he had knocked back a few jobs since leaving Southampton six months ago.

He had been strongly linked with a move to Leicester City but made it clear to the Rangers hierarchy right from the outset that he wanted the job at Ibrox.

Asked what success will look like moving forward, he explained: ‘I think it’s to win trophies.

‘It’s to build a culture at the training ground here that we are proud of, and that people can feel when they come into the building, and that the ownership want to feel when they come into the building.

‘An environment of hard work, of honesty, of openness inside and outside of the building and to see a team that doesn’t look different every week, that is always trying to improve and develop in our own way.

The 39-year-old familiarises himself with the home dugout as he is introduced at Ibrox

‘Rather than focusing on the opposition too much or what other people are doing, we’re going to do it our way and we’re all going to be fully on the same page.

‘I think the alignment and what I’ve felt over the last few weeks in the process is the most important part for me.

‘I think we’re all on the same journey. We want to be successful and, ultimately at Rangers, that means to win trophies.

‘We have to improve the team on the pitch, improve the environment on the pitch as much as we possibly can. Because there are already some brilliant people at the football club.

‘Some of them I know and worked with here and I’ve spoken to over the last couple of days who I’m really excited to work with again, to see and link up with again.

‘So to keep building on that and to bring our own twist on it and to win. I always want my teams to be aggressive, with and without the ball, and to be dominant.’

The Rangers squad are currently on holiday and are not due back for pre-season until June 23.

Martin will work alongside new sporting director Kevin Thelwell over the coming weeks to formulate plans around recruitment.

It was also confirmed yesterday that Matt Gill, one of his long-time lieutenants, will come in as assistant manager, while Rhys Owen will join as a fitness and performance coach.