Gillingham have fought off interest from Rangers to sign ex-Manchester United midfielder Matty Willock, who has joined the Gills on a two-year permanent contract.

The attacking midfielder has been at Manchester United since 2012 and went on loan to St Mirren and Crawley Town earlier this season.

According to the club's website, the Gills 'fended off interest from many teams, including giants Glasgow Rangers' to sign the heavily rated United youngster who arrives with a big reputation.

Manager Steve Evans also mentioned Willock had significant interest from the Championship, and thanked owner Paul Scally for getting the deal over the line.

"During my brief time as Manager, this is the signing that excites me the most given his ability, stature, strength and unbelievable reference from United legend Nicky Butt. Huge thanks must go to the Chairman who, I think it’s fair to say, I’ve messaged more recently than my wife.

"Gills fans should remember his name; they will love this signing. He is destined for greater things and we’ve beaten off some very significant interest from Championship clubs. He is nothing short of an outstanding talent."

The Verdict

As you can tell from the reaction from Steve Evans, he clearly feels as if he has pulled off a coup of enormous proportions here.

Describing Willock as an "outstanding" talent, Gillingham must have brought him here with a promise of first team football - so it will be really exciting to see how he gets on in League One.

Beating clubs such as Rangers means that Gillingham are meaning business this year; time will only tell if Willock can help propel the team to a potential play-off push next season.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.