ARSENAL legend Liam Brady insists the Gunners had no hesitation in allowing midfielder Gedion Zelalem to extend his stay at Rangers until the end of the Championship campaign.

The Light Blues confirmed last week that Zelalem would spend the second half of season at Ibrox as he looks to help Mark Warburton’s side to the league title and cup success this term.

Boss Warburton saw off competition from several clubs south of the border to clinch a deal for the American youth internationalist in the summer and Zelalem has become a key player for the Gers in recent months.

The Ibrox crowd will hope there is even more to come from the highly-rated playmaker, who was handed his Champions League debut by Arsene Wenger against Galatasaray in December 2014, as the Gers set their sights on the Premiership this season.

Brady has made several checks on Zelalem’s progress so far this term and the Irishman is confident he will benefit from more time under Warburton’s wing during the second half of the campaign.

He told SportTimes: “Mark Warburton is very pleased with him and he is gaining great experience so we were happy to continue the loan and that is why it has gone ahead.

“We have been keeping in contact with the whole situation, I have been up to see Gedion and so have some of the other Arsenal staff. He is very happy there and is enjoying it.

“The style of play was one of the factors that attracted us to send him to Rangers. We know Mark and how his teams play from his time at Brentford.

“We didn’t entertain anything else once we established from Gedion that he was happy to stay. We made it clear that that was what was going to happen. It was an easy deal to get sorted.”

Zelalem has started Rangers’ last two fixtures as they have beaten Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath to maintain their lead at the top of their Championship and progress into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

He has made 16 appearances for Warburton’s side so far this term but has yet to find the target and open his scoring account for the Light Blues.

With a place in the Premiership at stake as well as the Petrofac Training Cup final and the Scottish Cup campaign to come, there will be plenty of chances for the 18-year-old to shine in the coming weeks and months.

And former Gunners Academy chief Brady hopes Zelalem will be able to thrive under the Ibrox spotlight during a crucial spell for Warburton’s side.

He said: “What we would like him to do now is have more of an influence on games that he plays in.

“He knows the league now, he knows the pressure of playing with Rangers and we want to see progress. When you work with young players, you always want to see them getting better.

“A loan player has to establish himself amongst the contracted players. You have to play well enough for the loan club to be happy that you are with them and understand the reason of the loan. It is so far so good in that respect.

“The experience he is getting is invaluable. He is playing in front of 40,000 odd fans at Ibrox and that is special for any player.

“All loans are beneficial because it helps the players grow up. It is a particularly good situation at Rangers with the level of support they have, the stadium they play in and the fact that they are under pressure to win all the time. It is an invaluable experience for a young player.”