JAMIE BARJONAS is confident the Rangers Under-20 squad will be inspired by Ross McCrorie’s Old Firm showing on Saturday.

The defender made his first start for Pedro Caixinha’s side at Ibrox and earned positive reviews for his performance just days after he was handed his bow against Partick Thistle.

Midfielder Barjonas made four appearances for the Light Blues last term and is pleased to see the 19-year-old earning his big breakthrough.

He told SportTimes: “I was at the game at the weekend and I thought he was outstanding. He was the best Rangers player on the park.

“It gives the full 20s team a boost to see Ross start an Old Firm game and make his first start. It shows that the gaffer is willing to give the youth a chance if they are ready.

“The 20s players have all got a buzz from that and we will take that into training and the Development games that we are playing.

“I feel for Ross it has been a long time coming. He has always had the ability, he has got the work ethic, so I am delighted for him.”

McCrorie wasn’t able to prevent the Gers suffering a 2-0 defeat to Celtic but his showing was one of the few highlights for boss Caixinha to take from a disappointing afternoon.

He could continue to deputise for Bruno Alves if the Portuguese isn’t fit enough to return to action against Hamilton on Friday night.

And Barjonas was impressed with the way his Colts team-mate kept a cool head in the heat of Old Firm battle at Ibrox.

He said: “I didn’t think it looked like he felt the pressure at all. I knew he was going to go in and put in a performance.

“It was brilliant to see him do that. He is a good pal of mine so it was great to see.

“You need to be able to handle the pressure here and that is what the coaches are building us for.

“We are training every day and the goal is to get round to the first team and not look out of place.

“Seeing Ross go out and put in a performance like that was excellent and it is good for the development of the 20s players because we know that if we keep working hard and performing then we could get our chance.”

After seeing McCrorie make the most of his chance to shine on Saturday, the Ibrox crowd will now get another glimpse of the Light Blue future tonight.

Graeme Murty’s side host their counterparts from Leicester in the latest match of their new Under-20 games programme.

Barjonas scored in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton earlier this month and is relishing another tough test on home soil.

He said: “We are training so we can adapt to teams that might keep the ball more or play in different ways.

“We are expecting a challenge, we are expecting a hard game. But we are definitely relishing the chance and the opportunity and to get a crowd behind us would be great.

“We know the way we want to play and the style of play we want to have. Last year we tried to implement that in the Development League and now we are trying to implement it against more challenging teams and more challenging players.

“Once we get to the stage we are implementing our style of football against these teams, we know that will be a step up for us.”

* Jamie Barjonas is pictured promoting the Rangers Youth Development Company and their latest Ibrox Brick Panel. Full details on Rangers Bricks and other RYDC products – Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards and the Youth Members Club - can be found at www.rydc.co.uk.

The next youth game Jamie and his team mates play are is at Ibrox Stadium tonight against English Premier league side Leicester. Kick off is 7.15pm and fans can pay at the gate priced £5 for adults and £2 for kids.