SCOTLAND winger Matt Phillips thinks his old QPR team-mate Joey Barton is a misunderstood figure –and believes the Rangers new boy will be a star in Scottish football next season. Barton has been one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in the game in recent years, and has already lit the light blue touchpaper since his move north by claiming he will be the best player in the country next season and that all the pressure will be on rivals Celtic to retain their Premiership title.

Phillips, though, spent two seasons playing alongside Barton and believes the midfielder, now 33, has become a more mature figure in recent times. And Phillips, who will look to add to his three Scotland caps in the forthcoming friendly double-header against Italy and France, reckons his former colleague can get away with some of the more outrageous statements as he has the talent to back it up.

Phillips told Sport Times: “Some people get the wrong impression of Joey from what you hear but I was with him for two seasons and thought he was a top player. He’s got plenty of ability and the older he’s got, the wiser he’s got as well. I think he will bring a lot of quality to Rangers. I heard he said he is going to light up Scottish football or whatever and he’s definitely got the talent to do that.

“He’s played for other big clubs like Marseille and Newcastle and you don’t get those kind of moves if you don’t have something about you. I’m sure he’ll be good for Rangers. He was a big personality in our dressing room. He always speaks his mind and lets you know where you are. When you’re in the same team as him you know you can look at him and see someone who is always going to give 100 percent.

“He was first class with me when we played together. We never had any problems. And I think he’s got more mature the older he gets. He’s got the ability so he can back up what he says. He can talk the talk but he can walk the walk as well.”

Barton could yet be joined at Ibrox by Niko Kranjcar who remains a signing target for manager Mark Warburton. The Croat was another who shared a dressing room with Phillips at Loftus Road and the Scotland man rates his old team-mate as a real talent who Rangers would do well to snap up.

The 25 year-old added: “I think Niko is one of the best players I’ve ever played with. He might not be the fastest but his ability on the ball, both left and right foot, is second to none. If he goes to Rangers then I can see him making a real impact there as he’s a top player. He’s very technically gifted, he’s got great vision, he can see a pass that a normal player wouldn’t see, and his individual skill is tremendous. If Rangers get him then they’ve landed themselves a really brilliant signing. I’ve played with a lot of players throughout my career but I’d have Niko up near the top.”

Phillips, meanwhile, will look to bolster his chances of featuring in the World Cup qualifiers that start in the autumn by performing well in Scotland’s next two matches. The Aylesbury-born player qualifiers for Gordon Strachan’s side through his grandparents from Ayrshire but has struggled to get a run in the side after making his debut back in 2012.

He added: “It’s taken a while for my Scotland career to properly get going but hopefully this can now be the start of it. I’ve had a few injuries along the way which hasn’t helped but now I’m fit and looking to getting more caps and making squads. The World Cup qualifiers start in a few months so I need to show over these two games that I deserve to be a part of it when it gets underway later in the year. If I can get some minutes on the pitch hopefully I can do myself justice.”