STEVEN WHITTAKER has told Rangers fans he won’t fear their jeers when he lines up against his old club for Hibs this season.

Whittaker, along with the likes of Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty, objected to move from oldco to newco Rangers back in June 2012, resulting in an angry backlash from some sections of the club’s support as they moved to new sides while the Ibrox outfit started the following campaign in the bottom tier.

Five years on and the 33-year-old is back in Scotland with Hibs following a prolonged spell at Norwich City and is in line to come up against his old club at Ibrox on August 12.

Read more: Bruno Alves tipped to be Rangers’ ‘monster’ in the air

However, Whittaker has brushed off any notion that he will be put out by the hostile atmosphere that is waiting for him in Govan, and said: “Whatever reception I get, I won’t let it bother me. I’m 33 now so I’ve experienced all the different ones, whether you’re cheered or booed.

“That’s part of football and you just have to get on with it. I’ve not given any thought to what kind of welcome I’ll get there.

“I’ll just be trying my best to win for Hibs, like the rest of the other boys. I just don’t want to let anyone down.

“Everyone has a different opinion of what happened and who was to blame for what.”

Both Whittaker and Naismith delivered legal letters to former Rangers chief executive Charles Green five years ago which refused their contracts to be transferred to the Englishman’s Sevco 5088 company.

“As players we were paid to play football and that’s what we tried to concentrate on through the whole process,” added Whittaker.

Read more: Bruno Alves tipped to be Rangers’ ‘monster’ in the air

“It was difficult at times but that’s all we knew.

“Steven and I wanted to play football. That was the be all and end all.

"We took the wage cuts, for example, to try and help everything come back together.

“We did our bit but people have different perceptions of that. We can’t change that. We just need to get on with it.”

An Old Firm mentality is something the former Rangers defender is hoping can bolster the Easter Road club’s chances of success as they tackle the Premiership again after a two-year absence.

Whittaker will team up with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon as his new gaffer, and said: “Obviously I was at Rangers when the manager was at Celtic and because we’ve both been involved with the Old Firm, we probably have that winning mentality.

Read more: Bruno Alves tipped to be Rangers’ ‘monster’ in the air

“The manager’s certainly been there and done it, and I’ve got a lot of shared experiences as well.

“It’s something we can hopefully help bring to the squad.

“There’s definitely been a change of mindset within the club.

“It’s one of the biggest things that the manager’s brought. I played against him as a player and his determination sticks out.

“He’s a winner and you can see that from the chats I’ve had and from him being on the side of the pitch.

“We’re a big club in this league and we need to go there and show that.”