George Stanger excited by Kilmarnock chance after move from Ayr

George Stanger is relishing the chance to continue his development at Kilmarnock after joining the Premiership club on a two-year contract following his departure from local rivals Ayr United.

The 24-year-old – son of former Scotland rugby international Tony Stanger – caught the eye of Killie boss Stuart Kettlewell during a two-year stint with the Honest Men in which he made more than 70 appearances in the Championship.

The former Hamilton and Alloa defender is enthused by the opportunity to pursue the next phase of his career in the top flight.

“I’m delighted to be here,” Stanger told the Killie website. “It’s been in the pipeline for the past week or so and I’m happy to get it done.

“I feel like it’s a really good step for me in my career and I’m looking forward to get going and showing what I can do at this level.

“I’ve spoken to the manager plenty the last couple of weeks and I’ll be honest, he’s a big part of why I came here.

“I know that he’s got a good reputation for how he can help players develop and that’s a key thing for me.

“I want to be here, I want to win games for the club, absolutely, but I want to make sure that I get better.

“I think there’s a good opportunity for me to do that here and I think the manager will definitely help with that.”

Stanger, who has represented New Zealand at age-group level, becomes Killie’s fifth signing of the close-season following the recent arrivals of Scott Tiffoney, Jamie Brandon, Greg Kiltie and Jack Thomson.

“George is a player I’ve been really impressed with and I’m confident he will fit right in with our squad,” said Kettlewell.

“He brings a presence to the defence when he plays, he is also at a good age combined with plenty of first-team experience which is the perfect combination.

“We look forward to working with George this week ahead of the new season.”