Southampton star Joe Aribo insisted his time spent striving for glory at Rangers made him harsh on himself and added: “I want to win every single game I play in.”
The Nigeria international joined Rangers from Charlton Athletic in 2019 for a reported compensation fee of around £300,000.
As well as featuring in last season’s Europa league final, he won the Scottish top-flight title with the Ibrox outfit during the 2020-21 campaign, as well as the Scottish Cup the following season.
Overall, Aribo played 148 times for the Glasgow giants, scoring 26 times and registering 25 assists.
And having featured in every game since his summer switch to Saints in July, the 26-year-old insisted the ruthless winning mindset north of the border was something which has “stuck” with him.
Speaking to the club website, Aribo said: “For me, I want to win every single game I play in. When I was up there in Scotland, it was a given. You had to win.
“If you don’t win, it’s like the end of the world, literally.
“You don’t want to do anything. You don’t want to go out, so that’s stuck with me. I am harsh on myself and performances.
“If I play well, then it’s putting the team in a good position to win a game. It’s so important to play well, help the team and affect the game.”
Aribo has started 10 times for Saints in the top flight this campaign, helping Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to 12 points from their opening 13 games.
Asked how he has found life at England’s elite level thus far, having given up the possibility of playing Champions League football to join Saints, Aribo said: “It’s one that I’m not surprised about. I know the Prem wasn’t going to be an easy task.
“Playing against teams, you could see the shift in quality in every single team. Every team has got quality.
“Some results haven’t been the best but we are still growing, we are still learning and I think as a team we are going to come through.
“It’s a dream for me to, of course, play in the Champions League, but I am also living my dream playing in the Premier League, so it’s either or.
“I couldn’t have both at the time, so I think for me it’s a very good decision.”
Assessing his football experiences so far, the versatile midfielder added: “I’d say in Scotland the intensity is through the roof but I wouldn’t necessarily say the quality is as high, compared to the Premier League.
“Then you’ve got international football, where it might be a bit slower pace but the quality is higher because there’s a lot of players who are good players.
“I’d say the Premier League is everything wrapped up into one.”