FOR years, the fear for Rangers was that they would lose their biggest names and brightest talents to teams south of the border.

Now former Ibrox star Ted McMinn hopes the journeys will be reversed as Mark Warburton bids to bolster his ranks with players from across the English divisions.

The days since his appointment have given Warburton a chance to become familiar with his new surroundings and become accustomed to life in Scottish football.

But it is his knowledge of the game he has just left to take up the post at Ibrox, the leagues where he has honed his skills and learned his trade, that could be the most useful in the coming weeks.

He has already secured the services of Rob Kiernan from Wigan Athletic and brought Wes Foderingham to Ibrox following his departure from Swindon at the end of the season.

A move for former Derby midfielder John Eustace is also still on the cards, while Rangers will spend time at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground later this week as preparations are stepped up ahead of the new campaign.

Warburton is continuing to scour the market in search of reinforcements this summer and there could be more players making the cross-border switch before the window closes next month.

The prospect of a season in Scotland’s second tier may not appeal to everyone on Warburton’s wish list, but former Derby, Birmingham and Burnley wide man McMinn reckons the lure of Rangers will prove decisive when the Gers boss makes his pitch.

“He has come in and made good signings so far and I think Danny Wilson is a great bit of business,” he told SportTimes.

“Mark has done well down here. He will know what he has to do and what it will take. I hope he brings more players in from England.

“Mark knows the standard here and when you compare it to Scotland, there is a big difference.

“If you go to Ibrox, that sells itself. If you go to Murray Park, that sells itself. No disrespect to other teams, but you are not going to be playing in front of 50,000 down here every week.

“The English-based players won’t want to play in the Championship, but it will only be for a year hopefully. I think Mark can sell Rangers and his plan.

“I hope he gets a few players from here. Once you get them there, they will fall in love with the club.

“Hopefully he gets a few more signings and can transform the team because the two play-off final games were disappointing and the squad wasn’t good enough.”

With his first three deals done and Eustace checking in to Murray Park ahead of a potential move to Ibrox, Warburton has made a solid start to the significant rebuilding job he faces alongside assistant David Weir.

He inherited a threadbare squad that was low on quality and short of belief after a miserable campaign that condemned them to another season outside our top flight.

The appointment of Warburton has given the Light Blue legions a much-needed shot in the arm after months of turmoil on and off the park.

And former Gers winger McMinn is confident the Ibrox crowd will like what they see from a new-look side next season.

He said: “The pressure on the manager, no matter who got the job, was going to be huge this season.

“But I think the manager will do really well. When I heard they were talking to him, I thought he would be a great appointment.

“The brand of football he likes to play is very good. I saw Brentford against Derby last season and he likes to play with wide men, guys that, like Big Jock Wallace used to say, have their backsides against the chalk.

“When I watched Brentford last season under Mark and David Weir, they were probably the most entertaining team I saw at Pride Park all year.

“I like the way he plays football and I am really excited about what could happen this season at Rangers.”

No matter the players that Warburton recruits or the style in which he gets Rangers playing next season, the end goal is the most important factor as he chases promotion to the Premiership.

It was a feat he almost achieved last season as he took Brentford into the Championship play-offs before they were beaten by Middlesbrough.

The 52-year-old has now inherited a far different challenge and set of circumstances at Ibrox as he looks to rebuild Rangers and guide them back to the top of our game.

It is a task McMinn is confident he can achieve, but he is pleased to see Light Blue legend Weir in Warburton’s corner.

He said: “It came out in January that Mark wouldn’t be at Brentford next season, but he stuck with it and did a great job there. He didn’t give up and they had a great season.

“Brentford aren’t a big club, they don’t have a big stadium, but Mark did a great job there. He has gone to Rangers now and it is good that he has David Weir with him.

“Rangers have always had Rangers people around the club. When Ally was there, he had Durranty and Kenny McDowall, Stuart McCall had Kenny Black and Gordon Durie.

“You need people that know about Rangers. I am not saying that Mark doesn’t, but David will be able to fill him in on a lot of things.

“This is an enormous season for Rangers because we can’t afford another season in the Championship and every bit of help and advice he gets will be crucial.”