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 Light Blue legions 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.

Barton 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 title glory this term.

He said: “The Old Firm has always been littered with gallus players. 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.

“You play as long as your body will allow you. If you are fit and mentally strong enough you can play until you’re 40.

“The perfect example is the assistant manager Davie Weir. I don’t think age is a barrier.

“Sometimes you have to spread yourself and let other players do the donkey work but as long as you’re mentally attuned and enjoying it that gives you the strength to do what you have to do.

“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.

And Durrant is pleased with the shape Rangers are in as the countdown continues to the resumption of the Old Firm battle.

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.”