Charlie Telfer insists that being named the SPFL Young Player of the Month for November proves he made the right decision to leave Rangers for Dundee United.
The 19-year-old was a stand-out performer for the Tangerines last month after waiting patiently for his chance following his move to Tannadice in the summer.
The honour means a great deal to the midfielder as he was generous enough to acknowledge that there were other youngsters in the United squad equally deserving of the recognition.
Now, he is hoping December will be another good month for himself and United starting tonight against Ross County up in Dingwall.
Telfer said: “I’m delighted with the award but I’m a bit surprised because I thought there were a few players here who could have got it.
“Aidan Connolly has been great and so has Blair Spittal and Stuart Armstrong, so I’m lucky to have got it ahead of them.
“It’s a real honour and it’s good for the team that so many guys would have been in the frame.
“It shows I did the right thing coming here, I’m playing games now and that makes it special.
“I came here to play football, the manager has given me a chance and I’m now just trying to work hard and stay there.
“I had to be patient to start with but the manager told me if I worked hard I’d get a chance.
“Coming here and playing shows there’s life after the Old Firm.
“Some players I played with at Rangers stayed there and were left not playing.
“So it shows me that you give yourself a chance to progress if you go elsewhere and work hard.”
Telfer was one of the brightest prospects to have come through from the Rangers youth system in recent years and his decision to leave Ibrox was a shock to many fans of the club.
The Glasgow side valued him highly, which is why they and United are still at loggerheads over a compensation fee for the player.
The matter will finally be decided at Hampden next week but Telfer insisted it is something that he has not allowed to distract him.
He said: “The tribunal is there in the background but it hasn’t bothered me.
“It was all very complicated when I left Rangers but I made the decision for myself.
“It was my decision to move on.
“I’m just focused on training and playing because I don’t want to be distracted from that.
“It’s out of my hands, I don’t have any say in it so although it has been there it hasn’t been an issue.
“I’ve had a few messages from Rangers fans on Twitter but I have ignored them, it hasn’t been a big deal.
“I’ve just been focused on my job here at Dundee United.
“I’m going to be here no matter what so it’s best I just focus on what I’m doing every day when I come in.”
United travel to the Highlands looking to beat Ross County and make it three wins in a row.
This will be Telfer’s first experience of a trip to Dingwall and he is determined it will be one to remember for all the right reasons.
He added: “We want to keep our good run going and it would be nice to win a game on a Friday night.
“The last two we’ve played were Kilmarnock and Motherwell and we lost them, so it would be good to get a victory on television.
“It will be my first time playing up at Ross County. We’ll travel up in the morning, try to get the journey out of our legs and play well.
“County have improved in the last few weeks, their performances have been good so we know it’s going to be a tough game against them.”