NEW Rangers boss Mark Warburton was today urged to make signing Hibs midfielder Scott Allan his top priority as he builds a side capable of winning the SPFL Championship.

Allan was outstanding for the Easter Road club as they finished runners-up ahead of the Gers in the second tier of Scottish football last season.

And Light Blues legend Derek Johnstone reckons Warburton, who took over at Ibrox earlier this week, should target the skilful starlet in the coming weeks.

The Barcelona Bear believes the 23-year-old, a Rangers supporter who was keen to join his boyhood heroes last summer, would suit the attacking style of play the ex-Brentford gaffer wants his side to produce.

Johnstone also reckons Rangers should be prepared to splash the cash to get the man who made it into the SPFL Championship Team of the Year 2015.

He said: “I think Scott Allan is definitely the sort of player Rangers should go after if they can get him at the right price.

“The new manager has said that he wants players who are comfortable on the ball and can hold onto it. Well, Scott Allan can do that.

"Football nowadays is all about ability and pace. So many teams now have the ability to soak up pressure and break quickly upfield.

“Motherwell showed how effective that can be in the two legs of the SPFL Premiership play-off final matches.

“I think Mark will be looking to play good, fast, expansive football going forward. So those are the kind of individuals he has to bring in.”

“Scott Allan is a great player. We could have had him before he went to Hibs. He has been outstanding this season. He is a player who excites you.

“He didn’t do too well down in England. He went on loan to several clubs. His niche is obviously in Scottish football.”

Rangers had a bid – believed to be in the region of £200,000 – accepted by Wigan Athletic for their Republic of Ireland Under-21 centre half Rob Kiernan this week.

If the move goes through as expected next week, it will be the first transfer fee the Ibrox club has paid since they landed David Templeton from Hearts for £400,000 in 2012.

Johnstone reckons paying for central midfielder Allan will be money well spent given how much they will be able to sell the former Dundee United and West Brom man for if he does well at the Glasgow giants.

He said: “Even if he is going to cost £200,000 or £300,000, then I still hope Rangers go for him. If he does well they could get a lot of money for him a few years down the line.

“That is the kind of player they are going to go for. It is what, in many respects, Celtic do across the city.

“Yes, they spend more on players. But they buy them young, develop them and offload them for huge profits.

“Like it or lump it, Scottish clubs are all selling clubs. Just look at the players the likes of Dundee United and Hibs have lost in the last five years.

“There is no point in Rangers bringing in a 29-year-old for hundreds of thousands of pounds because they’re not going to get any money back for him. There is no residual value.

“He is just going to walk away for nothing because nobody is going to want to buy him. Plus, who is going to sign him then anyway? He will be 32 or 33 by then. Buying young is the way forward for Rangers.”