‘It was an eye-opener' – Robin Propper reveals what he learned at Rangers as he opens up on rollercoaster stint
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ROBIN PROPPER insists his year-long stint at Rangers was an "eye-opener".
The Dutch defender left Rangers this weekend to seal a move back to his old team FC Twente just 12 months after he swapped both clubs for the first time.
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Robin Propper has left Rangers after one year
Credit: Willie Vass
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He's back at his old team FC Twente
Credit: Getty
Propper, 31, was shown the door by Russell Martin after a disappointing stint at Ibrox - despite scoring against Celtic in the 3-0 Old Firm derby win back in January.
He made 43 appearances in all competitions for Gers last season but didn't do enough to prove his worth to new manager Martin.
But despite struggling in his first spell abroad in his career, Propper says it was huge learning experience that will only help him for the remainder of his playing days.
One thing he will certainly take back with him was his first experience of being a foreign player in another country.
Asked what he learned from his stint in Scotland, Propper told FC Twente's YouTube channel: "It was an eye-opener for me. I wasn't aware of how foreign boys feel when they come to the Netherlands (before Rangers). I think they need attention and time.
"You have to be constantly involved within the team. I have noticed that abroad it is different.
"The team spirit here at Twente is so strong. That has been a huge strength at Twente. I realise now that it has to be kept in check. You have to invest in that.
"You have to involve all the boys. That is one thing I want to take with me to the future."
Propper's move back to the Netherlands was a transfer saga with plenty of twists and turns.
At one stage it looked like the proposed switch to Twente would fall through after contract talks had stalled with his old club.
Rangers new boy Robin Propper reveals how Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers told him to join Gers
However, Propper has confirmed the reason for the transfer delay was down to the fact he was weighing up his future in Glasgow following the arrival of Martin and Rangers' new US owners.
He continued: 'It was a long wait. I wanted to know how it would go with Rangers. A lot happened there and I wanted to see how it went.
'I did pre-season and I played matches there. I don't think I missed much in terms of fitness
'Of course I want to say that I had a great adventure at a beautiful club with a rich history. I always wanted that in my career. I think I want to look at a different mirror after a while.
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'I can say that I have done that now. It felt really good to come back to the club where I really wanted to be - where I felt at home. The first two days I immediately felt the feeling.
'In a year you experience a lot. I have noticed that now. In a foreign country, certain things are different. I'm glad that I was able to experience that.
'I played a lot of games. I had a lot of beautiful moments. Also a little less. In a year like this you experience so many things.
'You have to experience that in your career. The way you deal with other people, you learn from that. I am very happy that I was able to do that."
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