ALEJANDRO Bedoya believes Mark Warburton will have his own version of former Rangers defender Carlos Bocanegra if trialist Oguchi Onyewu becomes the latest signing of the summer at Ibrox.

The 34-year-old joined Warburton’s side in Charleston on Monday as he began a spell training with Rangers in a bid to win a deal for next season. After completing a deal for full-back Lee Hodson this week, Warburton is now close to finalising his business ahead of the new Premiership campaign.

With eight new players already on board, the Ibrox boss remains in the market for a defender and a striker as he looks to add further strength and depth to his squad. He has already recruited Clint Hill, the former Queens Park Rangers centre-back, to provide competition with Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan, the pairing for much of last season as Rangers lifted the Championship title and Petrofac Training Cup.

Onyewu was last on the books of Charlton but has also turned out for the likes of Newcastle and Sporting Lisbon during a career that saw him become a key player for the USA national side. He will spend the next few days with Rangers and former Ibrox midfielder Bedoya reckons he would be a worthwhile addition to Warburton’s ranks.

“When you see ‘Gooch’ for the first time you would think he was an American football player. He is a monster!,” Bedoya said. “He’s got a massive physical presence. He has great stature, he is very strong and he is a great header of the ball.

“However, it’s not all about strength and defending with Gooch because he can also play the ball out from the back. He can really control the penalty area and, of course, he is also a great guy to have for set pieces at the other end.

“I haven’t seen him play for a while because it was well documented that he had an injury but I’m delighted he is getting a chance to show what he can do with Rangers. It’s a fantastic opportunity for him and I hope he can convince the coaches that he can do a job because I’m certain he would be a big success in the Scottish Premiership.

“I loved playing in teams with him because you knew you had such a strong character behind you. He is a great leader too the way he handles himself on the pitch, much in the same way that Carlos Bocanegra used to do. Gooch is also a really good communicator, just like Carlos, and you can never have enough leaders in your team.”