JON Toral and his best buddy Hector Bellerin were two of the most talked-about teenagers in world football when they hot-footed it to Arsenal from Barcelona against the Catalan club's wishes seven years ago. But while Bellerin has wasted little time in making himself one of the best right backs in the Barclays Premier League, Toral to date has found things tougher going. Rangers will be the fourth loan spell of his career, after stints at Brentford, Birmingham and Granada. The first two went well, the third less so, but the Spanish playmaker hopes that playing in front of 50,000 crowds at Ibrox every second week can prove the perfect way to finally persuade Arsene Wenger that he is worthy of gracing the Gunners' first team in tandem with his best pal.

“I played for eight years at Barca, going through the youth ranks," said Toral. “Hector was there, he is my best friend and we joined Arsenal together. He is one of the best right backs in the Premiership in my opinion so I couldn’t be happier for him. I would love one day to play alongside him for Arsenal. Playing well for Rangers can help me prove to the boss at Arsenal that I am ready for the first team.

“I am very happy to be here," he added. "I’m getting used to the new surroundings and I can’t wait to get started really. It’s my fourth loan club in three years and sometimes it can be difficult. You have to be mentally strong [going on loan], it’s not easy changing clubs. But I am sure it will benefit me in the long run.

“Brentford and Birmingham went well for me while I didn’t really play as much as I would have wanted at Granada. I hope this proves a successful move for me. I know this is a massive club with a massive fan base. I can’t wait for the first home game to experience that atmosphere that everyone talks about.”

Mark Warburton's time with Toral at Brentford saw the newly promoted club go all the way to the Championship play-offs, the Englishman tipping the young Spaniard as a Premiership player of the future. He can hardly have expected that to be the Ladbrokes Premiership but Toral feels his silky skills will fit in just fine amid the hurly burly of the Scottish top flight.

“I enjoyed working with Mark at Brentford, he did a great job there," said the 21-year-old. “We knew how good that team was, we had a lot of young, hungry players. Not a lot was expected of us but we reached the play off semi-finals which was a great achievement.

"I know how much faith the manager has in me. He believes I will play in the Premiership one day. That gives me so much confidence and makes me wanted to get started right away. The manager has told me what he expects from me.

“This will be a challenge for me. There’s not many clubs in the world where you play in front of 50,000 fans every week. But that’s a massive part of why I am here. I want to test myself and better myself. I think I am going to enjoy it a lot.”

Toral could play in the friendly against Red Bull Leipzig on Sunday assuming international clearance comes through on time. “I am waiting on the international clearance but I hope I can make it to Germany," he said. “It is only a friendly I know but I still think it will be a good game to be involved in. Playing against Leipzig would help me adapt quicker."

The Spaniard's desperation for first team football comes after a loan spell at Granada in the first half of the season where he made just five appearances. “I went to finish the season strong having not played as much as I would have liked in the first part of the campaign," he said. "I want to get minutes and enjoy my football again. I am confident I can cope with the physical side of Scottish football and it’s an exciting time for me again."

His full name is Jon-Miquel Toral Harper, with his mum hailing from Yorkshire. “My mum is English, from Doncaster, but as far as I’m aware there is no Scottish blood there," he said. "I’ll need to ask my mum!"