RANGERS legend Ian Durrant has urged Joey Barton to do his talking on the pitch and prove himself in the heat of Old Firm battle this season.

The midfielder made his Ibrox debut against Annan on Tuesday night and was given a rousing reception by the home crowd as he continued his preparations for the new Premiership campaign.

The capture of Barton was a significant coup for boss Mark Warburton and he has wasted little time in making his presence felt north of the border. He has laid down a marker of his title intentions and fired jibes towards Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Parkhead skipper Scott Brown in recent weeks.

But former Gers hero Durrant knows it is on the park where the 33-year-old must let his actions speak louder than words as Warburton’s side bid for Premiership glory this term.

“The Old Firm has always been littered with gallus players,” he said. “You go back to Baxter, you’ve got Dalglish, Larsson, Laudrup. I think Joey Barton will certainly bring entertainment but he will bring some other stuff as well. He’s quite popular on Twitter. But hopefully people are talking about him for the right reasons. You have seen his level of ability throughout his career. He has excellent credentials.

“I might like to have shared a dressing room with him. But we had a few characters so it would be interesting to see if he fitted in. He seems a down to earth boy. I hope we are talking about the football.

“I think Joey likes to do that (have a pop), it’s what happens on the pitch. It’s no use doing your talking just now, your talking has to be done on the pitch. We’ll see what happens on the tenth of September. I’m sure there will be fireworks because everyone knows what Scott Brown can do so we’ll see if Joey can do it. I’m looking forward to it.”

The deal to bring Barton to Ibrox is one of nine boss Warburton has completed as he has added strength and depth to his squad ahead of the big kick-off. Across the city, Rodgers has been far less productive in the transfer market so far as he looks to lead Celtic to a sixth successive title this term.

There are hopes amongst supporters that Warburton’s side can challenge for the top flight title this term, and Durrant is pleased with the shape Rangers are in as the countdown continues to the big kick-off.

He said: “I’ve been surprised by it. If you know Brendan Rodgers, the English league is a wee bit later than us in terms of declaring their squads, and maybe he has a couple of irons in the fire. I think he’ll need to act quickly because you want to get the team bedded in.

“Mark Warburton has basically brought in a new team. I remember reading last year that he likes to run a thin squad but I think now he’s top heavy now but he’s added competition. You want to get in the team and stay in the team because you’ll be looking over your shoulder. I looked at the bench the other night there and it’s a formidable squad they’ve got.”

If Rangers are to make a bid to land the Premiership crown on their return to the top flight, it is not just Barton that Warburton will rely on in the coming weeks and months. He has completed the bulk of his transfer business already, with the likes of Clint Hill and Niko Kranjcar adding much-needed experience to the squad that won the Championship last term.

Rangers kick-off their Premiership schedule against Hamilton Accies on Saturday, August 6 and face Dundee, Motherwell and Kilmarnock in the first month of the campaign. The opening Old Firm fixture will then follow, and it will be an occasion to savour for even the most well-travelled members of Warburton’s squad.

“It will blow Barton and Kranjcar away,” Durrant said. “You can talk about it and describe it but it’s not until you play in it. It’s still the same size of pitch and it’s 11 v 11 but when you add that atmosphere it’s completely different.

“You’ve got to make sure you don’t get caught in the atmosphere because it you let it get to you will not relish the game. It will be well drilled into them. I think it’s the [fifth] game of the season at Parkhead. It’s an intimidating arena but a fantastic place to play.

“A marker will be put down that day and if they can handle that occasion and Ranges can stay close to Celtic in the early part of the season then it will be interesting. I think we are looking to Rangers, Aberdeen and Hearts to put in a real challenge too Celtic so I think it will be a great league this year.”