Liam Kelly joined Rangers as a boy. He has returned as a man. The years in between have shaped Kelly the player and the person and he is older, wiser and better. His dream today is the same one he held at eight years old.

Kelly made the decision to leave Ibrox in 2018 for the sake of his career and he walked out of the door believing he would never head back through it. When the prospect was put to him last month, his mind was made up in an instant.

The keeper put pen-to-paper on a two-year contract just days after arriving back in Scotland after his time at the European Championship. On Wednesday, he was on his travels once again as he linked up with Philippe Clement’s side at their pre-season camp in Holland.

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Many would perhaps question why, at 28 and in his prime years, Kelly would seemingly relinquish regular first team football. He was the captain of Motherwell last term and has been a feature of international squads for some time. Now, his route to game time is blocked by the man who was the stand-out between the sticks in Ibrox number one Jack Butland.

Kelly weighed up the pros and cons. His decision was in his hands. His head and his heart pointed him towards Rangers.

“When you leave you don’t really think there is going to be that opportunity to come back,” Kelly says as he sat down for the first interview of his second spell at Rangers’ training base. “I am delighted to be here. Being at a club like Motherwell, who did so well for me, and then a club like Rangers come in for you it is difficult to say no. You can’t say no, can you? I am buzzing to be here. It is a club I know really well. I spent half my life here and half not here. I am so happy to be back and I am looking forward to it.

“When you leave you think it is not going to happen again. When the club comes calling, you are over the moon, so happy, buzzing. It is quite surreal to be back. It was a quick summer and quick turnaround. Happy to be here.”

Kelly had loan stints at East Fife and Livingston as he attempted to prove himself and show that he was worthy of a first-team place during difficult seasons at Ibrox. In the end, he had to head to Livingston on a permanent basis to earn the opportunity that he wanted and needed. A move to London with Queens Park Rangers was short-lived before the three years at Fir Park saw Kelly establish himself for club and country.

Those seasons have seen Kelly play more than 250 games and he acknowledges that he is a better player and better person than he was when, with a year still left on his Ibrox contract, he made the call at 22 to head for pastures new.

A conversation with Colin Stewart reaffirmed his belief that he needed to go and play. Robby McCrorie, the man he has replaced in Philippe Clement’s squad, has just had those same chats with the keeper coach. Kelly knows the benefits of going down that path and is now reaping the rewards of his endeavours.

“It is a bit different coming back and everyone has seen the level,” Kelly says. “I done a lot of hard work with Colin before I left to make sure I was ready to play the level. I went to Livingston and had a really good year before going to QPR.

"Me and Colin did a lot of hard work after training to make sure I was ready to go and play games. It was nice to see Colin again knowing the hard work had got us to this point. When you are in the academy at eight-years-old, the dream is to be involved in the Rangers first team. There is nobody left from the academy player-wise in the building. Some of the staff are here so I am looking forward to the next couple of years.”

Kelly’s future is now in Clement’s hands. In many ways, it also rests with Butland. If the Englishman is fit, he plays. Kelly was fully cognisant of that when he put pen to paper but he also understands how the game can throw up situations that cannot be planned out in black and white.

Kelly it taking a gamble to a degree. It is a calculated risk, though. The coming months, or the next two years will determine if it pays off.

“You are giving up a lot, especially with how well big Jack played last year,” Kelly adds. “Everyone knows he was the best goalkeeper in the league last year, hands down. You are one person away from playing in Old Firm games, one person away from European games. I am not in any position to knock back that chance.

"I am here for two years as well so I will still be young when my contract finishes. Hopefully, it goes to play and I can be here for much longer than that. There will still be opportunities for me to go and play if I need to but there is nowhere else I would rather be.”

Kelly arrived in Holland just in time to see Clement’s side continue their summer schedule with a goalless draw against Standard Liege this week. A friendly with Ajax is next on the agenda before Rangers return home and work through matches against Manchester United, Birmingham City and Union Berlin ahead of the real stuff getting underway next month.

The fortnight break that Clement granted Kelly has refreshed him mentally and physically. He admits to feeling ‘scunnered’ and ‘knackered’ at times after bouncing from one season to the next with just two days off this time last year. He is now ready and raring to go back in familiar territory.

Kelly will be given his share of minutes during the pre-season outings. He knows that Butland will be in goal for the Premiership start and Champions League qualifiers. A former teammate of Allan McGregor, Kelly is now working with another master of his trade.

“You try your best,” Kelly says when asked if he can challenge Butland for the gloves this season. “The manager will pick who plays and if Jack plays I will try my best to push him. I have had results at Ibrox with Motherwell and done well at Celtic Park as well. If anything happens to Jack or I need to play I am sure everyone knows that I will be sound.

"They have watched me enough now and there will not be any drama there. I will try my best to play. If Jack plays he will have my full support because the better he does the better it is for the team.

“He is top level, isn’t he? Everyone saw that last year how good he is. You want to train with the best, you want to play with the best. That will not be any different here. I have been able to train at a good level staying in the Scotland squad. I want to add to the group, try and be a good personality and push Jack as best I can. Hopefully it brings out the best in him again.”

Butland was the standout performer for Rangers during a campaign that started badly, showed signs of promise and then ended in more disappointment. His efforts were not enough to deliver the title or the Scottish Cup, or convince Gareth Southgate he merited a place in the England squad for the European Championship this summer.

Kelly, of course, was in Germany. He assesses the international situation and believes Angus Gunn will be the first choice for the foreseeable future and McCrorie will now come into the squad conversation if he can fulfil his promise with Kilmarnock.

There is clear pride in Kelly’s demeanour when he describes his debut away to France as the ‘best night of my football life’. The frustration of how the campaign ended is also evident, though.

“Incredible,” Kelly adds when asked about his Euros experience. “We never performed how we wanted to perform. I just wish one of those chances in the Hungary game had ended up in the goal and then it is a whole different story. An unbelievable experience. The atmosphere before the games, as soon as you walk out the place just erupts. It is louder than games in normal time when the goalies come out an hour before. An incredible experience and one I am really grateful for. Hopefully there are many more to come."