Joey Barton: It is a privilege to play in this 'exceptional' Rangers side

The midfielder is one of nine new recruits at Ibrox this summer as boss Mark Warburton has added strength and depth to his squad ahead of the new campaign.

The arrival of the likes of Barton and Niko Kranjcar have given the Ibrox crowd plenty of hope ahead of the big kick-off as Rangers set their sights on the Premiership title.

Read more: Mark Warburton pleased with Rangers' Premiership preparations after four wins from four in the Betfred Cup

Warburton’s side rounded off their Betfred Cup Group F schedule with a 3-0 win over Stranraer on Monday night as the Gers made it four wins from four games in the first phase of the competition.

Barton was handed his maiden start for the Light Blues and got another hour under his belt, while Kranjcar completed 90 minutes and rounded off the scoring after an early brace from Martyn Waghorn.

And the 33-year-old has been impressed with the way Warburton’s side have performed in their opening fixtures as the countdown continues to the visit of Hamilton Accies on Saturday, August 6.

Read more: Mark Warburton determined to get the most out of his revamped Rangers squad this season

Barton said: “It is great to come into this side, a side that has got a philosophy that they want to play football and create attacking opportunities.

“It was an absolute pleasure to play with the lads and some of the rotation and movement between the lines is exceptional.

“Learning the patterns of play and how people play, hopefully it is going to be a very exciting season for the football club.

“I am somebody as a player who has always taken that [responsibility], whatever football club that has been at.

“People forget sometimes that I am coming into a side that has been to two cup finals and won a championship last year.

“So I am not walking into a side that doesn’t know how to get the job done. There are some really experienced lads within the group, lads that have been there, done it and got the t-shirt as far as Rangers Football Club is concerned.

“For us, it was just to come in and compliment that. It has been a privilege to come into the group because it is a real cohesive group and a group that wants to get better and move this football club onto a level that it is used to being at.”

It has been a productive few weeks for boss Warburton as he has bolstered his Ibrox ranks and seen his side progress to the second round of the cup with ease.

Rangers scored ten goals in their wins over Motherwell, Annan, East Stirlingshire and Stranraer and didn’t concede as they ended the section with maximum points.

Warburton has previously been critical of the new League Cup format but it has given him a chance to mix-and-match his side in preparation for the Premiership opener.

And Barton reckons it was another useful exercise at Ibrox on Monday night as attentions turn to the visit of Premier League side Burnley this weekend.

He said: “The most difficult games to win are usually the ones you are expected to win.

“We were really efficient at times in the first period, we got a bit sloppy and got periods of the game where we should have put our foot on.

“We created enough chances to win a number of games there, really. We have got the job done and got through the group really efficiently, not conceding and goal and we have won four out of four.

“While it has not been absolutely ideal, in terms of we haven’t scored as many goals as we would have liked to, we have still got everything we needed out of it.”